Destined Duel
by Necropolis demon
Summary: What started out as a friendly chat ended up as a duel between Kaiba and Ryou wherein Ryou gets sent to Ancient Egypt, there he meets the actual Seth, Atemu and thief king Bakura. RyouSeth [alternative Bakura ending]
1. Prologue

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh and its characters don't belong to me.

Necro: Hey everyone! This is my first time so please don't be harsh on me and please submit reviews I'd really appreciate them especially the anonymous ones.

'…' Thinking

"…" Talking

Destined Duel 

Prologue

It was a cloudy day and signs of a coming downpour were evident, the winds were slightly blowing harder than usual and the air was cold that it made people shiver. Despite the conditions a small group of friends decided to have a duel on top of the school roof where the winds blew harder and there was a risk for their cards getting blown away.

What started as a simple chat that day ended up as a challenge between the CEO of Kaiba Corp; Seto Kaiba and the shy, white haired teen who's dueling skills were never acknowledged much; Ryou Bakura.

**Flashback**

Earlier at school, Yugi and his circle of friends were chatting about their dueling skills.

"Ha! I can beat anyone in this classroom with my eyes closed!" Joey, a blond haired duelist boasted.

"Yeah right, as if! I bet you can't win against Yugi." Tristan countered.

"Yeah, and what about Kaiba? You've never beaten him in a duel before Joey so stop being so big-headed!" Tea, the only girl in the group scolded.

"Ok, Ok, I guess I'm not number one…" for a moment the blond paused and spoke again "but I'll bet our Ryou here could beat Kaiba!" he gestured towards the shy teen who was standing behind them, silently listening to their conversation. "You guys have seen him duel before! Remember that duel he had against Yugi at Battle City? He almost won didn't he?" the blond snickered.

"Look guys I don't want any trouble, If Kaiba hears you guys comparing him to an…amateur duelist like me…well…" Ryou said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't be so modest Ryou." Yugi the so-called Game King interrupted.

"Yeah! You can beat Kaiba if you tried!" the blond said sternly, crossing his arms in a sign of authority.

"I…a-anyone can beat K-Kaiba…" the white haired teen stuttered, not noticing the figure of their classmate behind him. "If they practiced a lot and tried their best…I guess" he whispered with his head low. Unfortunately for Ryou, Kaiba heard everything he said except for the last part that only Yugi and his friends heard.

For a moment, Ryou noticed that his friends were silent; he turned his head and was met by the sight of a blue uniform. Looking up, he found Kaiba glaring daggers at him as if he was an insect that needed to be squashed.

"So you think you're so good huh? Ryou Bakura was it?" the brunette scowled, truly insulted at the pale teen's words.

End of flashback 

And that's how the duel started…

"I place Dark Necrofear in attack position!" said the white haired teen, placing the said card in attack position. "My turn is over" he looked up at his opponent who did not even flinch at the sight of the summoned monster.

"Dark Necrofear? That's said to be your favorite Card…." The brunette smirked; he drew a card and his smirk widened. "Then I'll summon," he confidently sacrificed his monsters to play the drawn card. "Blue-Eyes white dragon!" the CEO shouted with utmost confidence as he played the dragon.

Ryou's eyes widened at the sight of his opponent's monster, the dragon gave a fierce roar to the audience who were mainly Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan and Mokuba; Kaiba's little brother.

'What am I going to do? Kaiba will surely destroy me with his blue eyes! I have to think!' Ryou panicked, trying desperately to find a solution.

The pale teen struggled to think straight in order to formulate a plan against the enemy's trump card; hearing the faint cheers of his friends ringing in his ears, he pulled himself together and set two magic cards on the field then played 'swords of revealing light'.

The skies darkened and the wind howled making the conditions worse for the two duelists, it became frigid cold on the rooftop and considering that everyone was merely dressed in their respective uniforms; you can imagine how cold they were. As the surroundings darkened, Yugi felt a sudden chill pass through him. The clouds swirled into a spiral form and settled above the two duelists, the thunder roared, the wind blew stronger causing everyone to slightly panic.

"I don't think we should continue this duel Kaiba!" Ryou shouted at Kaiba since the strong winds and roaring thunder were too loud for them to hear.

"What's wrong coward? Afraid aren't we?" the brunette taunted.

Kaiba didn't know that his opponent was sensing some weird energy surrounding the inhabitants of the rooftop, causing the pale teen to shiver not in coldness but in fear.

'What's happening here? Why do I feel this way? I feel like there's something ominous engulfing me from head to toe' Ryou thought, Oh how right he was.

A dark shadow engulfed the shivering teen, from his feet to his torso and finally his head.

"What?" he panicked, his eyes widening in horror. He knew this shadowy mist! It was the mist that engulfed people and sent them to the shadow realm. Was he being banished? Why? How? Did he accidentally open the shadow realm while dueling with Kaiba?

"Ryou!" Yugi or should we say Yami Yugi screamed, he ran towards the teen in an attempt to save him from the darkness while his friends stood there in shock at what they were witnessing. Kaiba could not believe his eyes, at first he thought of it all as a trick so he hurriedly sauntered towards the side of his opponent thinking that his enemy was trying to run away from their duel.

The thunder struck at them a mere six feet away from Kaiba, the CEO's eyes widened as his duel disk began to malfunction, sparks flew from the gadget on his arm before exploding making him fall flat on the floor.

At that exact moment when the brunette fell, all the holographic cards and monsters on the field disappeared, all except for two: the Blue-Eyes White dragon and Dark Necrofear.

Ryou vanished into the darkness before Yami could even get a hold of him. Everyone except for Mokuba, who rushed to his unconscious older brother's side, stood there dumbfounded wondering where in the world Ryou went.

Necro: to all those who are reading this: kindly submit a review before moving on, complements and suggestions will be much appreciated. No flaming please! Thank you in advance.


	2. Ancient Egypt

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Me no own YuGiOh.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 1 Ancient Egypt

Ryou disappeared and found himself engulfed in the darkness which he came to know as the Shadow realm, he looked around seeing nothing but blackness, trying desperately to call out to anyone.

"Anyone? Can anyone hear me? Oh, What's the use?" he gave up, letting his shoulders drop. He knew he was doomed; no one had ever successfully attempted to escape from the shadow realm, no one except his darker half Bakura. He thought of the fiend who had always been a parasite to him, asking himself if the fiend would indeed help him find a way out of the Shadow Realm.

Just as the pale haired youth fingered the millennium ring concealed underneath his shirt, he felt tired, drained, as if he was falling unconscious. A beam of white light blazed ferociously in front of him, almost invitingly, having no other choice than to follow, he extended his right arm and reached out to the source of luminance…

Ryou felt his head spinning, his stomach churning, he felt like he went through some sort of vortex taking him deeper into the shadow realm. He panicked while closing his eyes asking himself what would happen to him next. Would he encounter some sort of vile shadow monster?

The spinning stopped and he slowly opened his eyes, to his astonishment, he found himself in an old Egyptian looking room with high stone ceilings and walls adorned with Egyptian hieroglyphics. Slightly staring in awe he moved forward, his vision was blurred and he could only make out a fuzzy image of a figure dressed in robes, wearing a headdress that hid the brown hair underneath it.

Hesitantly, the boy moved forward again, trying to mutter a word when suddenly he was hit by a wave of dizziness causing him to faint. The last thing he could remember was landing in the arms of the brown haired figure dressed in white.

The teen woke up lying on a bed with lots of pillows; he was comfortably settled underneath the linen sheets that seemed foreign to him, then he noticed… It wasn't his bed! Quickly sitting up and gathering himself, he noticed the room he was in. The room was grand with stone walls and many hanging curtains of different colors while the bed was roomy with many sheets and cushions, a little far from the bed was a table where his belongings were placed at, his books, his bag and duel disk were there though his duel monster cards were slightly scattered and laid out on the table clearly indicating that someone was looking over them as he slept.

He got up from the bed rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, wearing his shoes that were placed beside the bed, he stood up and sauntered to his things. Everything was in order, no cards were missing, no pages of his books were torn and his bag seemed to have never been opened, though there were a few scratches on his duel disk it seemed that it was still functioning correctly seeing as it was still on and that it still indicated his recent life points of 350.

Placing a gentle hand on the gadget, he tried to recall what happened. He was devoured by darkness…then there was light, then he found himself in a room while facing a man taller than him who had brown hair hidden underneath a headdress. Wincing at a newly formed headache, the pale youth tried harder to remember the face of the one who had cushioned his fall when he fainted. Brown hair…blue eyes…fair skin…Kaiba!

His eyes widened in shock, it was Kaiba who caught him! Kaiba who held him! Kaiba!

The name rang again and again in his head, why was Kaiba dressed that way? Why was he in an Egyptian looking room? Was he going nuts?

Ryou paced around the room, thinking hard and analyzing the situation, he decided to reach for his cell phone and call Yugi but when he did there was no signal.

Sighing in defeat, he sat on the bed, burying his face in his hands while softly trembling.

There was a click on the door but the white haired teen paid it no heed for he was too busy trying to calm himself.

He felt a pair of eyes staring intently at him so he looked up and to his surprise found himself facing Kaiba.

"Awake now aren't we?" the brunette said bluntly, looking down and admiring the beautiful white blond haired teen who was currently in a state of panic and confusion.

"Kai…ba?" for a moment Ryou thought, hoping that he wasn't dreaming

"Pardon? Who are you?"

Realization dawned the white haired boy; he realized that the man in front of him was not the Kaiba he knew for this one did not even seem to know him. This one was different, he did not look as haggard and stressed as the Kaiba he knew as his classmate, this one did look the same as Kaiba but for some reason Ryou felt that the man was not the brunette CEO.

"Sorry, I've mistaken you for…a friend of mine" Ryou said, looking down at his feet, slightly disappointed.

"Who are you and where did you come from? You are certainly not from here aren't you?" the brunette interrogated.

"My name is Ryou and…I come from err… Domino, Japan." He replied, still looking down at the floor. Slowly he lifted his head and asked with an unsure voice, "Where am I?"

The Kaiba look-a-like paused for a moment as if looking for a lie in the shy boy's eyes, then he answered, " In the Pharaoh's palace…in Egypt."

"Egypt? How-what…why?" Ryou seemed to have lost his pace for he began to stutter and panic once more. "What happened? And…who are you?"

"I am the High Priest Seth and…" he paused then continued, "for some reason which I cannot explain, you appeared from a swirl of black fog while I was in the middle of a Shadow Game."

That was it, Ryou could not believe it, he was in ancient Egypt, there was no doubt about that, here was the proof! Seth who seems to be the past self of Kaiba that was mentioned in the tablet back at the old museum exhibition during Battle City was standing in right front of him, he was in a room wherein the walls were covered with drawings and hieroglyphics telling stories and such. Ryou Bakura traveled through time!

Flash back 

A certain tri-color haired pharaoh was watching an exciting duel between two of his priests. High Priest Seth was facing another priest who claimed to be better in performing Shadow magic than him; he was aggravated at the challenger's boastfulness and decided to teach him a lesson.

"I call upon the great dragon who will bring me my victory and will burn your soul! Come forth! Blue eyed white dragon!" with these words a stone tablet broke and released the said creature in all its glory, fangs extended, arms ready to strangle, the creature opened its mouth and from it emitted a beam of light that pierced through the enemy's creatures.

As the screen of smoke from the blast cleared, a silhouette of a longhaired figure appeared from nowhere, there was a black swirling vortex behind the figure and Seth thought that it was perhaps another monster summoned by his opponent. Noticing that the silhouette looked too human to be a monster, he carefully approached it, ready to strike with his dragon.

Cautiously he approached the stranger who seemed to have been staggering towards him as well.

Long beautiful white blond hair that was almost godly and divine met the priest's eyes, at first he thought of the boy as a god but realizing that he wasn't; he put up his stern façade and sauntered towards the boy. The closer he got, the more he noticed the boy's angelic and heavenly features; the boy was dressed differently and this of course surprised both the priest and the pharaoh, he had milk white skin that was almost impossible to have if you're living in a hot desert and soft brown eyes that shined with innocence.

The pale boy fell forward and fainted, landing right in the middle of the shocked priest's open arms.

"High Priest Seth, what is all this?" the pharaoh asked, rising from his throne to walk up to the said priest.

"I do not know." he replied sternly, gently holding the slumbering teen.

The guards came and surrounded the two, carefully examining the unconscious and fragile-looking boy. The deck of cards on Ryou's duel disk scattered all over the floor while the guards were looking over the teen's bag.

One of the guards picked up a duel monster card, eyes widening at the picture of the creature on it. "Pharaoh! This…this monster on this card looks like a fiend from the shadow realm!"

"What?" the pharaoh snatched the card and looked at it with a perplexed face. "This is indeed a monster from the shadow realm. Who could this boy be? Seth, do you think he's some sort of spell caster?"

"He might be pharaoh Atemu since he looks foreign, like from a distant land and his clothes are rather eccentric don't you think?" Seth answered.

Atemu glanced at the pale teen; whose head was currently resting on Seth's chest, he couldn't help but envy the priest who actually got to catch the angel and get the unconscious youth in his arms.

"Prepare one of our finest rooms and take this boy there. Have a nice bath prepared for him when he wakes up and dress him in one of our finest garments." Atemu ordered.

"But pharaoh, he might be some sort of evil spy under the influence of thief king Bakura!" Seth argued.

"Does he look evil to you?" the tri color haired king glared at the guards and priests who all remained silent. "I didn't think so…now go on! Bring him to his room!"

Seth carried the boy in his arms while the guards gathered the boy's things and brought him to the assigned room, laying him gently on the soft bed. After the guards left he looked over the cards the white blond teen had, immediately recognizing the monsters on them.

"Curious…very curious indeed." The brunette muttered as he placed the cards face up on the table.

The priest turned his gaze from the cards on the table to the boy's school bag, noticing that it was unique and eccentric…well at least in his point of view. He fingered the tag on it that said in Japanese: 'property of Ryou Bakura' and tried to read the Japanese words but couldn't.

Sauntering to the boy's side, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked over the white blond youth. Ryou was simply dressed in his blue school uniform that consisted of a pair of blue pants and a long-sleeved button up top with a collar but to the Egyptian brunette these clothes intrigued him much.

From the buttons on the shirt to the pockets, he wondered where the boy came from to have such complex garments, Seth couldn't even figure out the zipper on Ryou's school bag so how could he expect to figure out the boy's clothes as well?

Sighing in defeat, he took the young boy's shoes off and set them aside noticing that they too were rather complex and advanced.

He got up and walked towards the door taking one last glace at the sleeping angel before muttering quietly, "Who are you?" then closed he the door.

End of flashback 

There was an awkward silence in the stone walled room; Seth glanced at Ryou who did the same until they heard a knock on the door.

"Enter" said Seth, the door opened revealing a woman roughly around the age of thirty who entered, carrying clothes for Ryou.

"Pharaoh Atemu sent these for you." She said, bowing to the still confused teen sitting on the bed.

"Um…thank you." He replied softly. The woman gave one last bow to both Ryou and Seth before she exited the room.

"Do you want to take a bath first or do you want to see the Pharaoh right away?" asked Seto, the boy shook his head no saying, "I want to see your pharaoh immediately if you don't mind, I hope he can help me get back to my home."

"Then get dressed, I'll be waiting outside when you're done." With that the priest turned and headed towards the door slightly blushing as Ryou began to undress.

"Um…Seth? Do you think you could err…" the pale one faltered, a taint of red on his cheeks as he gestured towards the bundle of silk and jewelry in his arms, "How exactly do you wear these?" he asked, embarrassed at having to have the other teen help him get dressed.

The cold-hearted priest gave a sigh and walked over to Ryou who was having trouble with some gold bangles.

"These go here." Said Seth as he slipped the thick golden bangle on the boy's wrist.

"Really? Gee…I thought it was an anklet." Ryou blushed and giggled.

First, Seth slipped the pieces of jewelry on Ryou, teaching him how to properly wear them then he instructed Ryou on how to wear the silk clothing before turning around as the boy undressed. A few minutes later, Ryou emerged, dressed in a long white sleeveless robe showing his bare chest that reached below the ankles and was held together by a white sash tied around his hips, over the sash was a thick coil of gold that covered the sash for decorating purposes. On the boy's neck was a gold choker and several golden necklaces, some were thin and light while others were thick and heavy, there was a thick ring of gold on both of Ryou's upper arms and one on his left thigh, which was hidden underneath the white robe.

Upon seeing the pale teen in such luxurious clothes, the priest blushed immensely. Realizing that he was blushing he quickly looked away and controlled his red cheeks putting up his strict image.

"Do I look ok? I feel weird wearing this…" the pale teen blushed as he carried his school bag and put on his duel disk.

"You look fine," the priest answered bluntly but the truth was he actually thought Ryou looked…cute, but he'd never admit that to the other teen. "Now come on, the pharaoh is a very busy man." He said walking towards the door, gesturing the pale one to follow.

The pair went through various majestic hallways as Ryou stared at the writings on the walls in awe, he couldn't believe his eyes! He was walking through the halls of an actual pharaoh's palace in actual ancient Egypt. Once in a while, Ryou would stop walking to take a closer look at some of the hieroglyphics noticing whether they were made recently or were older than the others. All the while, Seth watched the inquisitive youth fondly, letting out a smile or two once in a while whenever Ryou wasn't looking his way.

The high priest had to admit; he enjoyed seeing the young boy so happy and so astounded, it made him wonder even more about where the boy came from.

At last after crossing various halls they arrived at the pharaoh's court where they saw Atemu the pharaoh, king of all Egypt, sitting on his throne as one of his other advisers was talking to him. At the sight of Ryou, Atemu quickly sent his advisers away and ushered the priest and shy stranger to approach him.

Necro: Please submit a review if you wish for this fic to improve or to continue, no flaming please and thank you in advance.


	3. Love Triangle

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Still don't own YuGiOh.

Necro: Kindly submit a review for this fic and please no flaming, **anonymous reviews are now welcome. **Thank you in advance.

Notes: I don't know much about Atemu, Seth and Mahado (Dark Magician) so please if you have any information kindly share them with me. Information given will be highly appreciated. I'm not even sure if Mahado was a priest and I don't know how Atemu and thief king (spirit of the ring) were sealed into the millennium items.

Destined Duel   
Chapter 2 Love Triangle 

The pharaoh sat there on his throne eying the pale teen from head to toe. "So…what is your name and where do you come from?" he asked nicely, smiling when he saw the child fidget.

Ryou stood there shocked for a moment when he saw the so-called pharaoh, he looked like Yugi, and so he thought 'this must be Yami, Yugi's alter ego'

"My name is Ryou… I come from a land called Japan…far away from here." Ryou replied, bowing his head politely.

"Ryou…fascinating, I am Atemu by the way, so you come from a place you call Japan, how did you get here through the Shadow Realm? Are you perhaps a magician of some sort?" the tri color haired pharaoh asked.

"Magician? Me? No, I'm not."

"Please explain to us how you got here…Ryou." Asked the pharaoh nicely.

"I don't exactly know how but…I know you may not believe me err…sire, but I come from the future…so to speak." The boy said softly, eyes focused on the floor.

At first there was silence in the vast room and then…the pharaoh came bursting out in laughter while his priest smirked mockingly.

"The future? Please don't play games with me pale one, though I am one who loves games I think you must answer this question seriously." Said Atemu, wiping a tear that formed at the edge of his eyes while laughing.

"I…I'm not lying to you!" Ryou insisted, "It's true, I come from the future, so please…we all know I don't belong here so please help me get back." He begged, looking at the pharaoh straight in the eye.

"If you come from the future prove it then." Said Atemu.

"Well…um…Ok then" the teen dropped his school back and activated his duel disk. Upon seeing the 'strange device' being activated, the two Egyptians watched Ryou in fascination as he placed a card on one of the card slots.

"Um, I summon Dark Necrofear!" and summon he did, Dark Necrofear appeared in front of the awestruck pharaoh in all it's morbid glory.

"How did you do that without opening the Shadow Realm?" exclaimed Atemu.

"I don't see any sacred tablets here, where did that come from?" Seth followed.

"Well it's a hologram image of Dark Necrofear, see?" Ryou waved his hand through the hologram showing that it was indeed just an illusion.

"What kind of sorcery is this? This creature is under your control?" asked the pharaoh who was looking intently at the illusion, "are you some sort of illusionist?"

Ryou gave a sigh and said, "If that's the way you want to put it, but it's all really my duel disk's doing, it's a hologram."

"So this 'duel disk' is from your world?"

"Yes, it's for a game called 'duel monsters' that's based on…well, your Shadow games."

"This-this is amazing!" Atemu stood and approached Ryou, fingering the device and staring at it in awe.

"Pharaoh Atemu, you are needed in the…" Mahado another high priest came rushing into the thrown room.

Ryou turned his head towards the priest and was once again dumbfounded by his looks. To his surprise, Mahado looked exactly like…like…the Dark Magician!

"Um…am I interrupting anything?" asked the new comer.

"No not at all…you were saying?"

"Ah yes, pharaoh you are needed, the other priests want to discuss issues about the thief king." Said Mahado.

"Yes, yes of course." Atemu nodded then glanced towards Ryou, "Ryou, I'm dreadfully sorry but I have to go attend to some business, Seth why don't you show him around the palace?" suggested the pharaoh.

"As you wish." Said the brunette, bowing courteously.

"Um, I-I was wondering…pharaoh-" Ryou stuttered but was cut off by Atemu.

"Please call me Atemu." He smiled.

"A-Atemu…I was wondering if I could…well…go outside the palace to do some sightseeing, you know. I kind of wanted to see more of Egypt." The white haired teen requested bashfully.

The pharaoh thought for a moment, thinking about the dangers the pale teen could get into; he knew that it would be quite dangerous for Ryou to wander the streets without knowing a thing or two about the thieves in the area. "I'd love to let you out Ryou but not today, perhaps tomorrow, I'll even have Seth accompany you." With that the pharaoh followed Mahado and they both left the room.

While walking in the halls, Atemu and his most trusted priest Mahado chatted about Ryou.

"Pharaoh who was that boy?" Mahado inquired. "His name is Ryou," replied the King, "He's amazing with illusions! You should've seen him with his 'duel disk' thing!"

"So...he is the one I've heard so much about." Stated the priest. "Huh?" Atemu raised a brow.

"Everyone here in the palace has been talking about some sort of 'white haired' youth who appeared out of no where, clad in blue with milk white skin as smooth as silk."

The tri colored pharaoh chuckled, "So everyone's heard about Ryou," he added with a serious tone in his voice, "I'm not that surprised, though I think we should keep this a secret, I wouldn't want all of Egypt to fuss about the boy especially with Bakura having his men lurking at every corner of the city."

"Yes of course, do you really trust this stranger Pharaoh?" Mahado critically inquired.

"Most definitely!" he chirped.

Most of the day, Seth took Ryou on a little tour around the palace. He showed Ryou everything and introduced him to everyone in the palace, from the guards to some of the other priests to the healers and some officials, Ryou spent the whole day smiling and introducing himself to strangers he barely knew.

It was fun; Ryou reflected, to have Seth with him. The brunette had led him into various rooms wherein all sorts of statues and miniature sculptures were at. He showed the pale teen all sorts of amazing things like a small sculpture of Isis the mother goddess of fertility and nature, sacred tablets of shadow monsters, Seth even performed a little shadow magic for Ryou by summoning one of his Blue Eyed White dragons which Ryou immediately recognized.

By the end of the day the pair were tired of their endless scurrying from building to building. Ryou was acquainted with almost everyone in the palace and he became more comfortable with Seth who still wouldn't put down his stern façade.

It was night and the time to take Ryou back to his room came, the brunette led the pale one back to the room he had occupied earlier in the day, slightly disappointed that it was time to rest and leave the white haired teen for the night.

"Goodnight Seth…today was fun." Chirped Ryou, right before he smiled and closed the door.

Seth stood in front of Ryou's door for a whole minute before turning back and walking down the hall. That smile, oh how he loved to see Ryou with that heart-warming smile, the way his eyes would shine like precious gems and the way his adorable dimples would show. Wait a minute! Did the great high priest Seth just think that the boy was beautiful?

Seth paused for a second in the middle of the hall, a taint of red on his cheeks, he had just thought of Ryou as some sort of angel. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts but to no avail. Sighing and letting his shoulders slightly slump in defeat, the Seth admitted to himself that he might possibly have a crush on the ethereal teen.

In Ryou's room, Ryou sat on the edge of the bed thinking about Seth. He had to admit that he sort of liked Seth, in a strange way. Though the priest was stern and cold just like the Seto Kaiba he knew, he was somewhat attracted to the other teen. Sighing in defeat, the teen stood up and sauntered to a nearby table where he had placed his belongings. He sat down on the said table and reached for his school bag. Ah yes, now where was it…ah here it was.

The teen took out a blue inked pen and wrote on the back pages of one of his notebooks:

Today has been an absolute dream and I don't know if it's real, I'm in ancient Egypt, and I've met the pharaoh Atemu and his high priest Seth. The pharaoh looks like Yugi and Seth looks like Kaiba, what's weirdest of all is…I think I've fallen in love with Seth. 

The teen paused for a moment eyeing what he had written, thinking it was absurd to write about such. He made a move to tear the page but decided not to. If he really was in ancient Egypt, this could mean a whole new discovery for Science relating to time traveling and bending the bounds of reality and space. Ryou decided to use his notebook as a journal for his little adventure, who knows, he might one day be a famous scientist for his discovery of time travel through the shadow realm and besides…he really wanted to record everything that happened on that unforgettable day.

Leaving the notebook wide open on the table and yawning, he sighed again then stood up to saunter towards his bed. Falling promptly into sleep, the pale one slept a dreamless slumber.

In the pharaoh's bedchamber the pharaoh was lying down on his bed staring at the ceiling thinking about a certain white blond teen.

"Ryou of Japan…how beautiful." He mused, stroking his wild mane.

Necro: I know this chapter is shorter than the last one but please bare with me, again I hope I get **encouraging reviews** for this fic. Thanks in advance. If there were some people out there who were trying to submit reviews for this fic, I'm really sorry about before, I forgot to change the settings of my account. My account didn't allow anonymous reviews. Again I apologize for the inconvenience but anonymous reviews can be submitted now.


	4. A Day in the Market Place

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: If I owned YuGiOh I wouldn't be here fantasizing.

Necro: Thank you for those who've been supporting this amateur fic, I bow to you all. Please continue to submit reviews.

I want to thank the following: **Dutch Cheshire cat, Dark Hikari Twilight AND roguehobbit **the only people who've actually reviewed this fic. /Cries/

Note: I'm not sure if thief king Bakura's name was really Bakura coz someone told me it was Nahkti or something but for the sake of this fic I decided to call him that anyways.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 3 A Day in the Market Place

The sun rose high above the morning sky illuminating everything with its glow.

Blink.

Blink.

"Huh?" the white blond haired teen sat up rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. Kicking the sheets off himself, he got up from bed while stretching his limbs and fixing the bed.

He was still half asleep as he made the bed when he noticed that his wrists and ankles were slightly feeling heavy. He looked at his wrists and saw golden bangles hanging on it, immediately his eyes widened at the sight and he snapped fully awake.

"What-this-it's…so it wasn't a dream." He recalled the events that happened yesterday.

Remembering that he had forgotten to change his clothes last night before sleeping, Ryou searched the bedchamber for other clothes and found other garments obviously prepared for him by the pharaoh Atemu himself.

While rummaging through the piles of garments, the pale teen remembered about his problem on how to get himself back to the future. He had asked for help from the pharaoh yesterday but what if Atemu couldn't help him? Deciding against his better judgment, he called forth the power of his millennium ring. Closing his eyes and opening his mind link, Ryou called out for the spirit of the ring but for some reason the millennium ring didn't appear on his chest like it usually did.

A soft knock on the door was heard as the teen wondered why he couldn't contact his other half. "Um…Come in."

The same thirty-year-old woman from yesterday entered the room, carrying all sorts of perfumes and bath stuff for Ryou. "A nice and warm bath has been prepared for while you were asleep. The pharaoh wants to speak to you after you've bathed and relaxed in the hot water."

"Um…yes, thank you." Replied the teen.

There was a bath filled with hot water in a room connected to Ryou's bedchamber where all sorts of oils and fragrances were prepared for him. Again, clothes made of silk were prepared for him to wear. There were beautiful girls in the bathroom that immediately walked up to him the moment he set foot in the room, taking his clothes off.

Ryou blushed a good scarlet color when the girls reached down and started untying the sash that held his robe together. "P-Please…I'd rather undress myself." He stuttered, utterly embarrassed at the girls who were giggling at his bashfulness.

The girls left the room, drawing down a thin and almost transparent red curtain behind them, giving the now crimson-faced youth some privacy. He quickly shed his clothing, the bangles coming off first then the silk robe, and dipped into the soothing hot water, relaxing and closing his eyes, allowing the hot water to sooth his body and to clear his mind from problems.

Seth had just finished some business of his when the pharaoh instructed him to fetch Ryou and so he headed to the boy's bedchamber and knocked on the door.

"Ryou?" he knocked, "Ryou?" Around this time, Ryou was holding his breath underwater so he wasn't able to reply. Since the priest didn't get a response, he entered the room uninvited. The priest looked around the room noticing that there was an open notebook on the table and being the suspicious and inquisitive brunette he was, he took a peak at the blue inked words written on it, upset at not being able to understand a word.

"What is this?" he muttered under his breath, slightly agitated that he couldn't read what was scribbled on the notebook. He then heard a splash of water in the next room and decided to take a look.

Quietly he peeked through the almost transparent red curtain that separated the two rooms. There he saw a silhouette of a body through the transparent piece of cloth, at first he thought it was a woman but he stared in awe when he realized that the feminine figure behind the curtain was actually Ryou.

'Oh Ra…he's beautiful.' He thought to himself as he watched the pale boy's lithe form move. Oh Ra how he wished to just jump inside and touch that soft, blemish free, alabaster skin.

Bringing his thoughts back to reality, Seth called out Ryou's name. "Ryou?"

"Seth? Is that you? Sorry I didn't hear you come in." the teen replied, rising from the water and reaching out for a towel to wrap around his waist. "Good morning."

"The pharaoh sent me here to get you, he wants us to eat breakfast by the palace garden."

"All right then, just wait for a minute while I get dressed." And with that Ryou started drying his hair.

"You've got an interesting book here."

"Book?" Ryou wondered out loud, then he remembered that he had left his notebook wide open on the table last night, the notebook that he wrote stuff about him liking Seth on.

"D-Don't read that!" he rushed out the bathroom and quickly snatched away the notebook from the priest's hands. "I-It's private." He blushed.

Seth blushed when he noticed that the towel on Ryou's waist was slipping, the teen noticed this and blushed as well, immediately adjusting his towel.

'Darn, he just had to notice that his towel was slipping didn't he? Ra why do you tease me so much?' Seto thought sourly, he really wanted to see Ryou naked; the sight of Ryou all wet from the bath had already aroused him.

"I can't read it, what does it say?" the priest asked.

"You…can't read it? Then what was so interesting?" wondered Ryou, thankful that the other teen couldn't understand.

"The writings on it are…colored blue." Seto pointed out. Ryou looked at the notebook realizing that he was using blue inked pen and that the Egyptian couldn't read Japanese, he sighed and slapped his forehead at his stupidity, how could he have forgotten that no one in Egypt would be able to read what he wrote?

"Well? What does it say?" Seth stubbornly asked again.

"N-Nothing!" the wet haired teen assured.

"You better get dressed, you're getting the floor wet." The priest said.

"Right."

Again, Seth had to help Ryou get dressed, not that he was complaining, but this time he actually got to help slip some clothes on Ryou though he still didn't get to see the other teen naked, and help dry his hair, which he noticed was impossibly soft.

They walked through another hallway that was unfamiliar to Ryou and arrived at the pharaoh's garden; his so-called sanctuary where the pharaoh usually spent time all by himself in tranquility. No one was ever allowed to go to the 'sanctuary' except for Mahado and Seth; this bothered the brunette a bit because only those who were special to Atemu were allowed entrance, he was suspicious about the pharaoh's feelings towards the pale teen, he really didn't want to have any competition.

In the middle of the garden was some cloth that was spread over the grass just like one in a picnic, where Atemu was sitting on. Atemu waved at the two gesturing them to sit down and eat with him.

"Good morning Ryou, Seth, sit down and eat." He said cheerfully, offering the two some sliced apples.

"Thank you." Ryou replied politely, Seth and him sitting on the picnic cloth. Just when Ryou was going to sit down, Atemu gestured for him to sit beside him while Seth sat in front of them.

The white blond teen sat beside the tri color haired pharaoh who, scooted closer to the pale youth. Seth's fists curled into a ball at this, trying hard not to show his anger; he just couldn't help but get jealous at the two who, right now looked like lovers.

They all ate their breakfast this way, Seth jealously glaring at the pharaoh, Atemu offering Ryou all sorts of fruits and Ryou declining politely and once in a while offering them to the priest. At one point, Atemu started asking Ryou more about Japan and his world.

"So, what is the future like?" he asked.

"Well…in the future, we've invented light bulbs, computers, cars and stuff like that." The pale teen answered.

"What are these 'cars'?"

"They're sort of like carriages that move by themselves." Ryou explained.

"You don't need horses for it to move?" the pharaoh asked.

"Nope."

"Wow." Atemu breathed in amazement, "Ryou do you want to go see the city?" he asked.

"Huh? Yes, yes of course!" Ryou replied excitedly.

"Seth, I want you to go with Ryou here and show him around the city." He reached out from his pocket and took out a heavy looking coin pouch that seemed to be filled with lots of gold and gave it Ryou, "Here, why don't you buy some things in the market."

"Don't you think this is too much money pharaoh?" Ryou reasoned with the pharaoh.

"Nonsense, and please I've told you I'd rather have you call me Atemu." He smiled.

"I-I wouldn't want to impose or be rude." The teen replied softly.

"Just enjoy yourselves ok."

"Ok…um, Atemu."

Ryou and Seth left the palace and went to the market place wearing cloaks to hide themselves from the public since Ryou would easily attract the attention of thieves with his foreign looks and Seth didn't want anyone to find out about him being a high priest; people would probably start to bow to him courteously and that would definitely attract too much unwanted attention.

The two moved from shop to shop, passing by different stalls and merchants who were selling all sorts of crafts and fine jewelry. What really interested the white blond teen were miniature statuettes of different kinds of Egyptian gods.

They passed a stand that was selling all sorts of small sculptures when Ryou tugged on Seth's sleeve, asking him if he could buy one.

"Hey Se-mmphf!" The priest immediately covered the boy's mouth with his hand, silencing him.

"Shhh! Don't call me by my name here." Seth whispered to the teen, "You'll attract everyone's attention."

"Are you well-known here?" the boy asked.

"I'm a high priest am I not? You don't see high priests in the market much unless there's something wrong."

"Right, I forgot about the whole 'commoners' thing." He smiled, "What should I call you then?"

"I don't know," he said bluntly.

"Hm…I know! I'll call you big brother!" at this, Seth almost tripped on a stone.

"Whatever." He replied bluntly though he really did like the ring to it; they approached the stall and started bargaining for different figures; one in particular that Ryou really liked was a figure of Bastet the Egyptian cat goddess that he immediately bought.

Spending the whole morning enjoying the day by bargain hunting, the two teens rested and ate their lunch in a tavern but not long after eating they were at it again, moving from shop to shop nonstop.

While walking in a busy part of the market place Ryou and Seth got separated from each other. As Ryou was shoving his way through a crowd looking for the priest, he saw a tanned boy wearing a turban no older than eleven, trying to steal a loaf of bread from a stand for himself and his siblings but unfortunately for the boy he got caught by the merchant and got scolded on. The merchant even threatened to report him to some guards.

Ryou, being the nice and giving person that he was, fingered the gold in his pouch that was hanging on the side his waist then took out some gold and bought a whole lot of bread from the merchant. The children looked up at him with hungry looking expressions in their eyes and to their astonishment, Ryou gave them all the loaves of bread he had bought then smiled at them.

"Here, you children need these more than I do." He smiled as he looked over the children and counted them. All in all there were five kids, three boys and two girls with the eleven-year-old boy as the eldest among them.

"T-thank you." The boy thanked, receiving the loaf of bread from Ryou.

"Why are you giving us food mister?" asked a tanned little girl who looked like she was around the age of six.

"I just didn't want you children to steal, besides you all look famished and please call me Ryou." He smiled.

"Thank you very much for giving us these loaves of bread, we haven't eaten since yesterday." The eldest said, Ryou looked shocked and sympathetic for a moment, he really felt bad for the children and so he wondered about their parents.

"We really wish we could repay you for your kindness." The youngest tanned girl said softly.

"Wait…maybe we can!" the youngest boy exclaimed, he whispered something to the other kids and they all nodded in agreement. Without warning, they tugged on Ryou's sleeve and dragged him through the waves of shoppers.

"W-Where are you kids taking me?" the white blond teen asked, running and panting while following the street children.

The kids led the foreigner through various alleys and paths, while chatting with the children as they were racing towards an unknown goal, Ryou had completely forgotten all about looking for Seth. They passed through different alleys and paths, they crawled through concealed holes on the walls, they climbed up ladders to get on the roofs of houses and the jumped from crate to crate as they headed towards their unknown destination.

Finally after taking so many twists and turns they arrived at a small dead end situated between two shabby looking houses at a run down part of the market place. "Is this where you live?" Ryou asked, as he dropped his hood and ran a hand through his hair. "No, we don't have a home." The eldest boy whose name was Nam that Ryou now knew answered sadly, "we don't have a family, we're…street rats." He added mournfully.

"I-I didn't know…I'm terribly sorry." The pale teen apologized sadly.

"It's all right." The boy shuffled through a pile of baskets and pieces of cloths at the corner of the dead end and took out something small and furry to present it to Ryou.

The teen's eyes widened at the sight that met him, it was a cute furry little kitten with beautiful crystal blue eyes and pure white fur! Ryou excitedly patted the kitten's fur all the while smiling like there was no tomorrow.

"You can have her, she's still a few months old, you see we found her here and decided to take care of her but we're barely making it ourselves." Nam explained as he straightened his turban.

"She's so cute! I love her! You're giving her to me?" he asked, fondly cradling the kitten in his arms.

"Yes, we can't take care of her but I'm sure you can."

"Thank you ever so much! I promise I'll take good care of her." Ryou thanked happily.

Unknown to the white blond and tanned children, dark figures were watching them from a corner, waiting to make their move.

Just when Ryou and the kids were about to leave, three large men jumped in front them, all looking ruthless.

"Look what we've got here boys." The tanned muscle bound leader said smugly, "What a pretty foreigner! He'd make a good whore wouldn't he?" He grinned maliciously, licking his lips.

Necro: This one's a tad bit longer than the last one so be thankful and kindly submit a review, please! I'd really want to hear more from you people out there. Oh and in the next chapter someone's finally coming out! Guess who! coz I ain't telling you guys…well yet. REVIEW PLEASE!** REMEMBER, I AM YOUR FRIEND AND FRIENDS GIVE REVIEWS TO OTHER FRIENDS!**

Who do you think will rescue our white blond haired teen? Who do you think is the new character? And why do you guys think that I only got 6 reviews/Sobs/ **REVIEW! I was wondering how many reviews an average author here gets for every 3 chapters excluding the prologue.**


	5. Thief King Bakura

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Kazuki Takahashi owns YuGiOh not me.

Necro: Oh! For the love of Ra! Submit a review or I'll sick thief king Bakura on you! Thanks for the reviews! You were all expecting to see Bakura the thief king weren't ya? Well, he's here but there are others too, there's not one, not two but four new characters! Weee! I better get more reviews for this surprise. Everyone who reviewed said they really loved this fic, I'm so happy/faints from joy/ here's Bakura!

**EMERGENCY QUESTION: **I was typing the other day when a question hit me…to those who've seen the YuGiOh series, I ask you this very important question: **Remember that underground palace that Malik, Isis and Rishid lives in? There were ruins above it, were those the ruins of Kuru Eruna? And was that underground palace a palace or a city? **Please answer;** I can't continue if I don't know the answer.**

Note: The beginning of this particular chapter will start off back at present Japan coz I'm going to explain to everyone about how and why Ryou got sent to ancient Egypt but after that part of the story the settings will switch back to Ancient Egypt.

I used the name Nam, which was Malik's dub/fake name in the series or something for one of my characters here and no it doesn't mean that the character is Malik.

I'm using the names: Isis, Malik and Rishid instead of Marik, Ishizu and Odion, the name Odion really pisses me off coz while I was typing his name I accidentally typed 'onion'.

Don't forget Cliffhangers are your friends so don't hurt me!   
Destined Duel 

Chapter 4 Thief King Bakura

In present Japan, Mokuba was looking after his older brother Kaiba who was immediately rushed to the hospital after almost getting struck by lightning. It's been a couple of hours since the duel and night eventually came, the storm had stopped and the dark sky was now filled with brilliant stars.

"Big brother how are you feeling?" the little long black-haired boy asked, sitting on a chair beside his big brother's bed.

"I'm fine Mokuba so stop worrying yourself and I shouldn't be here in the hospital either." Kaiba said sternly, lying in bed. Yugi and the others were in the same room as Kaiba's; they've been waiting for the CEO to regain consciousness for a couple of hours now.

"I wonder what happened to Ryou, I hope he's all right." Tea worried.

"Ryou's in the shadow realm, there's no doubt about that." Yami interrupted, taking full control of Yugi's body.

An abrupt knock on the door interrupted their conversation and yells of "Open up" and "this is important!" were heard. Tristan stood up to open the door and was met by the sight of three tanned people. It was the Ishtals!

"Finally! What took you so long to open the Ra-damned door?" Malik exclaimed, shoving his way into the room, completely ignoring Tristan who now looked like a doorman.

"Excuse us for intruding Kaiba." Isis apologized, following behind her younger brother.

Tristan closed the door right after Rishid entered and Yami asked the tanned Egyptians what brought them back to Domino.

"What brings you back to Domino Malik?" the past pharaoh asked the blond Egyptian.

Malik took a chair, turning it backwards and sat on it so that his arms and chin would rest on the chair's back. "We came here to guide you."

"Guide us?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes, guide you, for you see another prophecy is about to be fulfilled." Isis stated as Rishid took another chair and offered it to the female. "Thank you Rishid."

"Prophecy? What's this nonsense I'm hearing about, don't tell me this is about those 'millennium items' of yours. I thought that prophecy about the pharaoh and his priest was over already, don't tell me there's more!" the CEO complained, furious at the Ishtals' sudden intrusion and upon hearing more of the millennium items.

"Let me explain." Isis paused, lowering her white hood then continued, "It turns out that there was another prophecy on another sacred tablet which was connected to that of the duel between you-" she gestured towards Kaiba, "and you, the pharaoh." She gestured towards Yami. "The other prophecy says that the battle between the pharaoh and his high priest was to be followed by a battle between the priest and-"

"Ryou…right?" Kaiba cut in.

Isis nodded and continued, "It was a fight between the priest and the legendary thief king who in this life time is Ryou. But for some reason the battle didn't go as planned since Ryou wasn't able to continue with the duel…right?"

"How did you know that Ryou and Kaiba's fight was postponed? You couldn't have seen the future, Yugi has your millennium tauk doesn't he?" Joey asked.

"Shadi told us everything. He told us about Ryou disappearing during the duel and what happens to him after that" Malik explained with a serious tone in his voice, tilting his head slightly to the side, "He explained to us about the whole priest and thief king thing too." He added.

"What's going to happen to Ryou in the Shadow Realm? We have to save him!" Yami said frantically, almost angrily.

"We can do nothing about it, and don't worry, Ryou isn't in the shadow realm but is actually in Ancient Egypt." Said Malik. Everyone froze at this statement until Joey finally spoke up, "What do you mean he's in Egypt?" he asked.

"Shadi told us that Ryou has been destined to be sent back to ancient Egypt by means of bending the shadow realm wherein he must correct the wrongs of the past. He has to get the priest; who is the past Kaiba and thief king Bakura to duel each other, if he doesn't get those two to fight and fulfill what was written on the tablet, he'll never get back here to our world." Malik said sadly, eyes staring intently at Kaiba.

Everyone fell silent; Yami's fist tightened as he spoke up, "Malik are you saying that Ryou has to get that obnoxious tomb robber; Bakura, the same Bakura who inhabits the millennium ring to duel against the high priest?"

"Yes."

Back at Ancient Egypt, Ryou was having his own battles to conquer such as how to get away from thugs.

"What a nice catch we've got here." A skinny tanned guy with broken teeth leered.

"W-what do you w-want?" Ryou stuttered as he released the kitten in his arms, allowing it to run and hide.

"Hm…pretty and innocent, innocent could be good" the muscle bound leader sneered, slowly advancing towards the pale teen like a predator with his lackeys trailing behind him. The children whom Ryou was with began to tremble in fear and clung onto Ryou's cloak.

Ryou really wished hadn't put down his cloak's hood earlier and shown his face, now there were three thugs forcibly hitting on him. The white blond teen made a gesture for the children to run away, "You kids better run, this doesn't look good." He whispered to Nam. "We can't leave you with these guys." Nam argued.

The pale teen backed away from the hoodlums, still whispering to Nam, " I want you to get out of here now! You can call for help or something, just go!" Having no other choice than to obey, Nam and his friends ran frantically past the towering thugs, dodging them and escaping vowing to come back for Ryou.

"Well, now that we're all alone…" the third ruffian wearing a turban smirked, moving towards Ryou faster.

Instinctively, the pale youth moved back slowly at every step the thieves made towards him. Soon his back was against the wall and with no other chances of escape, the teen stood there, awaiting his doomed fate. The leader of the group approached the quivering teen predatorily, smirking maliciously as his eyes skimmed the foreigner's fragile and elegant body from top to bottom.

The three hooligans couldn't help but get aroused by the sight in front of them; Ryou was uncharacteristically divine looking to them, as if he was an Egyptian god. He was so angelic, so beautiful and so pure…Oh how they'd love to taint him.

Their leader placed a hand on Ryou's delicate face and upon finding it to be as smooth as silk his smirk widened. Ryou flinched at the contact and began to quietly whimper under his breath with his eyes tightly closed, the hand which was on his left cheek now moved to down to hold his chin. Cautiously, the teen opened his eyes as the man lifted up his chin to have a better look at his godly face.

'Someone…anyone, please save me' Ryou thought, as the other two hooligans moved to his side and held him in place so he couldn't run.

"Please…please stop!" he begged, screaming as the thieves took the rest of his cloak off him and began to run their hands all over his sides. "Let me go!" he yelled frantically as the three Egyptians were raping him.

The teen struggled to get away from his enemies' grasp but was abruptly knocked off his feet when one of his attackers punched him squarely at the stomach, causing him to drop to his knees. The muscle bound leader kicked the fragile teen causing the said teen to sprawl out on the ground, he settled himself between Ryou's spread legs as the teen gasped for breath from the painful kick.

"Please…don't, I beg of you." The teen once again pleaded, his throat sore from the his constant screams for aid and his eyes teary from the beating as the other two held his hands above his head and began to undress him.

All seemed lost for Ryou; here he was in a land far way from his home being raped by three hooligans. What did he ever do to deserve this? The teen closed his eyes in defeat, letting a single tear escape from his brown eyes. He knew he couldn't escape, he knew he was hopeless…it was useless to struggle, it was useless to scream, what, with the man's superior strength and his lackey's hand muffling his screams, how could he ever expect to be saved? Ryou couldn't think and so he just lay there still struggling, trying to push away the horrible truth that was happening to him, trying to fool himself that this was all a nightmare…he remembered Seth, Oh what was he going to tell the priest? How will explain that he, Ryou Bakura, an innocent and sometimes invisible to the crowd teen got raped not by one but three rapists?

The three quickly started to take the poor teen's jewelry off, starting with the bangles on his wrists to his choker necklace. Finally after the gold was off, they moved to their victim's silk clothing, opening the upper part of Ryou's garment to reveal his porcelain skin.

As the air made contact with his bare chest, Ryou remembered his millennium ring. He tried his best to summon the spirit of the ring, not caring for the consequences that he would soon face upon disturbing his alter ego. The teen didn't care if the spirit would forever torment him by taunting his inability to protect himself from bandits, all he wanted was for all this to stop. He concentrated, he screamed in his mind for his Yami…but all was in vain.

'Please Bakura…please…save me!' the teen pleaded in his mind, opening his mind link.

Everything seemed silent for the teen as he reflected, no one was going to save him, not Yugi, not Seth, not even his Yami…Was he really that worthless? Was he really that weak?

Just when the leader of the bandits was about to open the lower half of the teen's garment, a fist collided with his face, sending him flying off Ryou and landing him hard on the ground three feet away from the teen. The other two turned their heads from Ryou to whoever assaulted their leader, turning pale at the sight of their boss' attacker.

Above shoulder length white blond hair, a visible scar over one of his eyes, tanned complexion and a built body…all hidden under a cloak and yet…he was still distinguishable, well at least to fellow thieves. It was no doubt, the one person Ryou was pleading for help from, the one person who Ryou was so sure to have been able to help him get back to his world…now that he was here…Ryou wasn't so sure, it was certainly the guy he knew but not the ring spirit.

"T-thief King Bakura!" the leader yelped, hastily getting on his knees to bow down to the pale teen's rescuer. "Thief King? Thief king Bakura!" the other two quickly released Ryou and bowed down before Bakura, who looked down at them with a disgusted expression plastered on his stern face.

"You idiots!" he yelled, kicking the muscle bound leader. "What did you think you were doing with him?" he asked, his voice low and threatening as if he was a messenger of death.

"W-we were…"

"You were about to rape him!" Bakura scolded, his voice now hovering over the bandits' whimpers. "Why? Did you not see him help those children? Did you not see him feed our allies?" he sarcastically asked, circling the three who kept their heads so low that their foreheads touched the ground. "Didn't you see him help our fellow thieves?" he roared.

Everything went silent and nothing could be heard the moment Bakura snarled in fury, nothing except the pale teen who was now sitting at a corner, whimpering and sniffling quietly. Ryou was really scared to death now; he was saved, yes, but by the King of all thieves…now he wasn't so sure if he was safe.

The Thief King picked up the teen's scattered jewelry one by one as well as the teen's discarded cloak and approached him. He bent down and gently pried open Ryou's hands that were covering his brown orbs to slip on the golden bangles. Ryou watched this intently, here was Bakura; the ruthless tomb robber, the one who has sent so many innocent souls to the Shadow Realm, being gentle with him.

"I am Bakura the King of all thieves and I apologize for my men's actions, I'll see to it that they get what they deserve." Bakura apologized, as he slipped the upper part of Ryou's robe back on, though the pale teen still kept his face downcast in fear. "Look, I know that people say I'm a merciless bandit but we thieves have a code of honor too you know, you fed those children who were one of us and so I return the favor by saving you." the thief king said, cupping Ryou's chin to lift his face up. Ryou let his guard down upon hearing the thief's words; at least he knew Bakura wouldn't hurt him.

Ryou looked up to his so-called savior, his eyes filled with unshed tears. Oh how he longed for the day he'd see his Yami being nice to him. Bakura gingerly held Ryou's upper arms to steady the boy who seemed a little shaken. He gaped at the sight of the shy boy's delicate and angelic face, the boy was so beautiful that it took Bakura a few seconds to switch back to his stern façade.

Without warning, the white blond teen flung into the shocked thief king's open arms and started crying his eyes out. He cried and cried and he didn't care…he was just relieved that someone had saved him from his fate. The boy cried his heart out, not caring that he was in the arms of a notorious tomb robber who could turn against him in any second.

Bakura was shocked, no dumbfounded and all in all speechless; he had expected tears but not this! A boy who's supposed to cower in fear and run at the very sight of him was actually in his arms, seeking comfort. Hesitantly and out of instinct, the thief placed a hand on the boy's back and began to comfort the fragile teen; who in return, clutched his cloak and rested his head on the thief's chest.

Seth cursed himself for losing Ryou, how could he have let the guy wander through a crowd of busy people? Now the priest has been looking around, walking from shop to shop asking people if they'd seen a white blond haired teen. They were all the same; they all thought that Seth was referring to the Thief King rather than the innocent Ryou.

The priest was about to reveal his identity to everyone so he could order an official search for the teen when he heard a group of children talking about Ryou.

"We have to go back for Ryou! We have to save him!" Nam argued.

"How? Those guys must be done with him so why save him? We can't do anything to help big brother Ryou." The little girl said sadly.

"But still we have to try, I know we can't ask for help from the guards but we have to save him!" Nam said forcibly.

"Where is Ryou?" the brunette priest said, sneaking up behind the unsuspecting Nam.

"W-who are you to him?"

Seth thought for a moment whether he should tell the kid who he really was or not, finally deciding that it'd be useless to tell a child, he lied, "I'm his big brother."

Nam's face brightened and he quickly led the undercover priest through the alleyways and shortcuts he knew so well. There was no time to lose; Ryou was probably on the verge of losing all hope. On the way through the paths and alleys, Nam explained to Ryou's 'big brother' what had happened.

Necro: I hope my characterization of Bakura was ok. Please submit reviews, please! It's not fair! The other fics here have so many reviews! Can't I have some too? Pwetty pwease?

/Puppy dog eyes/ I really appreciate those who reviewed my last chapter coz I got 6 more! Yahoo! By Ra help this poor newbie!

Note: Someone told me that in the mangga, thief king Bakura didn't have any allies or any lackeys and that he was a loner but some of my other sources told me that he has a band. I read a couple of fics and found out that in most of those fics; Bakura has lackeys, so again, for the sake of this fic, I made him a leader or some sort of king to the underground world of criminals.


	6. Stolen Kiss

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh doesn't belong to me, but in this fic…I rule over all!

Necro: Well, I'm happy that I'm getting more reviews than usual, thank you everyone! I don't know if Ryou is going to end up with Seth or Bakura ok coz I'm sort of just typing randomly here so please tell me who you think should get along, Seth/Ryou, Bakura/Ryou or Seth/Ryou/Bakura. **A special thank you to Moonlitdarkness, Saffron-Starlight and diabound24 who answered my question. **How many chapters do you think this fic will last?

**EMERGENCY QUESTION:** Sorry for bothering you guys again but I want to ask a question again. **Back at ancient Egypt who owned the millennium key, ring, necklace and eye? Atemu wears the millennium puzzle around his neck right? How did he get sealed in it? I heard that Mahado and Bakura had a fight and Bakura got sealed in the millennium ring and that Mahado owned the millennium ring, is that true? Did Seth own the millennium key? Who exactly ordered the massacre of Kuru Eruna? coz someone told me it wasn't exactly the pharaoh. **PLEASE ANSWER!

Note: I'm not really good at characterizing characters ok, I hope Seth and Bakura seem normal to you guys.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 5 Stolen Kiss

Turn in this corner, turn on that, jump over here and crawl under that…Seth darted through all sorts of obstacles with the sole purpose of saving Ryou. He followed Nam and his friends through the tight passages of the city, leading him to where ever Ryou was.

Finally after jumping off a roof, the priest hid behind the shadows and arrived at his destination. There was Ryou, sitting in a corner and there were the three bandits…bowing low? Seth caught sight of a figure crouching in front of the pale teen, at first he thought that the stranger saved the teen but as he drew closer to the two he caught a glimpse of the guy's unmistakable white blond hair.

"You!" the priest snarled, immediately dropping his hood and entering the scene, not caring if the kids behind him or the thieves he was facing would recognize him.

Bakura, the bandits and Ryou whipped their heads towards the direction of wherever the voice came from; the thief king cursed himself for not sensing the priest's presence earlier while he was tending to the distraught teen in his arms. Slowly, Ryou and Bakura stood up, Ryou still being sweetly held by the thief.

"Seth!" Ryou shouted happily, the priest didn't even flinch when his name was called; he just kept glaring at the abhorred fiend standing next to his Ryou! Wait a sec…was he being jealous? Was he being envious of the thief who was now currently holding his precious white blond?

The three bandits who were a while ago on their knees, quickly stood up and made a move to attack the priest when Bakura made a gesture for them and the children behind the priest to leave and not get involved in the conflict. The thieves obliged and left them; creeping back into the shadows and disappearing from sight…now there was only Bakura, Seth and Ryou left.

"Hello high priest Seth," the thief king leered, his voice low and menacing as he addressed the brunette in sarcasm.

"Hello thief king Bakura," the brunette retorted, also dead serious with a glint of annoyance showing in his blue eyes.

The two glared daggers at each other for a couple of moments, the wind blew and everything was abnormally silent, it was as if they could hear each other's heartbeat. Bakura held Ryou closer to his body, noticing the priest's fists tighten at his actions.

"So priest, you know this boy?" Bakura asked, gesturing towards the teen in his left. He slipped an arm over the boy's shoulder and felt the teen stiffen. Looking back at the brunette priest, he smirked, noticing the brunette's fists tighten.

Seth's left eye twitched in pure anger when the thief once again, pulled Ryou close, so close that the teen's head was resting on Bakura's toned chest and his pale hand was clutching the bandit's cloak.

"Let go of him you fiend!" Seth snarled at last after keeping himself silent, trembling in fury. Again, the thief began teasing the priest by walking up behind his 'hostage' and wrapping his arms around the teen's slender hips. Ryou blushed when the sly thief had his arms around his waist and again his breath hitched when the thief seductively licked his left cheek.

"He tastes good."

In normal circumstances, the priest would have lashed out and tackled the bandit but since the white blond fiend had Ryou for a hostage, he just couldn't risk getting the boy hurt. Seth tried to calm himself down; he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes then opening them, his blue orbs showing nothing but coldness.

Just when Seth was ready to negotiate with the thief, Bakura just had to piss him off by giving his hostage a nice slap on the ass.

"Eeep!" Ryou squeaked, a taint of red spreading on his cheeks as he nursed his abused behind.

"That's enough!" the brunette snarled, quickly drawing out his millennium rod, which was concealed beneath his cloak.

Ryou, for the first time, saw the priest with the millennium rod. There was no doubt about it; Seto Kaiba owned the millennium rod in his past life, here was the proof! Seth made a move to attack the thief who also drew out a dagger that was concealed in his sleeve.

"Stop! Both of you!" the white blond teen broke free from the thief's hold and stood in front of him, protecting Bakura from the fuming priest. "Seth…he saved me from those rapists."

"Saved you? I bet HE was the one who ordered those guys to rape you in the first place!" the brunette growled, pointing an accusing finger at the thief king.

"Nonsense! I may be a thief but I'd never do anything to harm this desert flower." The tanned lawbreaker retorted still teasing the priest by calling Ryou a 'desert flower' causing the teen to blush embarrassedly. "Besides, he fed some fledgling thieves of mine, he has my respect."

Slowly the brunette lowered his millennium rod but still glared at the loathed bandit in front of him, 'Desert flower… feeling up to Ryou. Who does this guy think he is?' he fumed in his mind. Great, now the king of Egypt and the king of thieves were both after Ryou too, why does everyone have to compete for the teen?

The teen turned his eyes from Seth to his hero behind him, "Thank you very much for rescuing me from those three hooligans earlier." He thanked, bowing his head like a Japanese does to show appreciation.

"I'll let him go…but just this once, I'll give him only ten seconds to get away and that's it." Seth said reluctantly. Ryou nodded and gave the thief one last smile before sauntering towards the priest's side, Bakura jumped on a rooftop taking one last glace at the pale teen before remembering the priest's counting.

"One…two…three…" Bakura turned his back on Ryou as the teen looked up to him smiling.

"Four…five…six…" Ryou waved at the thief on the rooftop and mouthed a thank you.

"Seven…eight…nine…" The thief king swooped back down, startling the priest and the teen. Seth momentarily stopped counting as Bakura quickly advanced towards Ryou to…kiss him!

Standing there shocked was Ryou who melted from the bandit's unexpected kiss, the kiss was chaste and simple yet passionate and breathtaking at the same time. Seth's eyes widened in horror…how dare he! "TEN!" he yelled.

Bakura immediately broke the kiss to flee from the brunette, leaving the pale boy slightly dazed. He quickly jumped on the rooftop and was out of sight in a matter of seconds before Seth had the chance to strangle him.

Ryou touched his lips with the tip of his fingers, blushing as he recalled the thief's actions; he kissed him! Bakura kissed him! Though the kiss lasted for only a few seconds and though it was simple and modest it still made the teen feel dazed and dreamy.

"The nerve! I'll kill him!" the priest snarled not being able to bottle up the blazing fury in him and outraged at what the bandit did.

"Seth that's enough…please, it-it's ok, really." The paler boy said, his face downcast, still visibly blushing at the memory of the kiss. "Let's just go please."

Ok? It was ok? Seth could just imagine breaking that no good crook's neck and shoving him off a cliff, he could just imagine the guy getting stung by every scorpion in the desert…he could just imagine him getting run over by a thousand camels. The guy kissed Ryou for Ra's sake! Now that really pissed Seth off. What got him madder was the fact that Ryou was fine about the kiss…that Ryou actually enjoyed swapping saliva with the guy.

The brunette trembled in anger but calmed himself down; reluctantly he had to hide his anger and envy so the pale teen wouldn't notice his jealousy.

The white blond heard a faint purring sound and looked down to find his kitten by his left, pawing at the end of his robe. He smiled and picked up the forgotten kitten, cradling the animal in his arms.

"Let's get back to the palace, I think you've had enough sightseeing for one day." The priest said, turning his back and gesturing for Ryou to follow.

"Hey… 'Big brother'…" Ryou said softly, cutely tugging on the priest's sleeve.

"What?" the brunette turned towards the teen behind him and saw a bundle of white fur in the boy's arms.

"The Pharaoh won't mind if I keep her right?" the teen asked.

"Who said that you could bring animals to the palace?"

"C'mon, please? I really want to keep her, she's so cute." The white blond teen begged, putting up his adorable puppy dog eyes all the while looking like an innocent little kitten himself.

'So cute…' the stern Egyptian absent-mindedly thought, watching the cute and irresistible Ryou beg.

"Please? I promise I'll take good care of her, you'll help me convince the pharaoh to let me keep her right?" Ryou pleaded, his eyes giving the impression of innocence.

'So adorable…' Seth said in his mind, not listening at all to Ryou. He was too preoccupied with gaping at the teen's adorable face.

"Just let me keep her." This time Ryou's lower lip trembled as if he was a little boy who was about to cry.

'Too cute! Too adorable…too much!' The priest screamed in his mind. The look Ryou was giving him now just screamed 'I'm too cute for you to say no.'

"Please Seth, I'll do anything! Anything you want, just name it!" said the teen, clutching on Seth's cloak desperately.

'Anything?' the brunette thought and imagined; _Ryou on his lap…playing with his hair…both of them naked in a dark room…panting and moaning_. 'Must stop being horny!' Seth mentally slapped himself, great, now he was imagining being in bed with the boy.

"Ok, Ok fine, you can keep the kitten." he finally agreed, turning his head away from the innocent boy, trying to hide the blush that formed on his cheeks because of those dirty thoughts. "Let's just get out of this alley."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you Seth!" Ryou excitedly hugged the priest from behind causing the brunette's blush to get even redder. Seth had to admit, it was nice having the boy so close to him.

In a dark tavern with no sunlight whatsoever that was filled with all sorts of criminals, located deep in the dark corners of the city, everyone was drinking and laughing with a little brawling, without a single care for the world. The inhabitants of the tavern were all menaces to society some were thieves, some were whores, some were murderers and some were just sick of their lives. Each and every one of them had their own story, their parents were killed, they didn't have a home, were molested and such but they all had one thing in common…they loathed their miserable lives and the pharaoh who gave them such misery.

The door was abruptly knocked down by a powerful kick, sunlight rushing into the dark room. Everyone stopped with their businesses and turned their attention towards the new comer who entered. Some brawlers tightened their grips on their drinking glasses and some were about to jump on the new guy but they all halted upon recognizing the unmistakable hair and scar.

It was their King: Bakura. They all immediately fell silent and stood up, the ones who were closest to the door quickly fixed it up and closed it, letting darkness fill the room once more.

From the whores to the thugs, everyone bowed their heads without kneeling as their said king passed. Immediately, the owner of the tavern shoved his way through the crowd of criminals to greet the thief king.

"Can I get you anything my king? Food and Wine…perhaps?" the guy asked, bowing and this time kneeling in front of Bakura.

"Food, Wine…and information. Bring that 11-year-old kid named Nam from the market place to me." He ordered; obviously, Bakura knew every thief in the city even if it was a famous murderer or a common street rat; two men left the tavern to fetch the said boy.

The ruthless King of thieves went to the back room where the owner of the tavern revealed a hidden trap door on the floor, which led to a secret room that was made especially for Bakura. Bakura went down the flight of stairs and was met by a wooden door. He opened the door and entered into a torch lit room where all sorts of treasures were in. The room was huge and was decorated with all sorts of hanging curtains of different colors, tapestries and such hung on the stone walls and torches illuminated the room, the light making the golden treasures inside shine. In the left corner of the vast room were a couple of cushions and pillows, all laid on the floor in a circular pattern.

At the center of the room was a four-poster bed with red transparent hanging curtains to provide privacy. There was another door that led to the baths and another passageway hidden behind a tapestry that was created just incase he needed an escape route if the pharaoh's men would ever discover his hidden home. To him it wasn't much; a secret room underneath a not so famous tavern where he could rest and sleep was enough for him. The room was his home whenever he was in the city, he ate at the tavern above and slept in the treasure filled room below, small things that he stole were kept in this secret lair to give the room a little life, his other valuable treasures were miles away in different towns. The king laid flat on his back on the majestic bed, looking up the roof of his poster bed; he just couldn't get that boy out of his head.

That smile, those eyes…so innocent and yet…he didn't even get the chance to ask for the boy's name…

And then there was that little thing about…a voice.

Flashback 

Bakura was in a meeting with his fellow pharaoh haters in a dark alley, completely shut off from the market place where only a few knew of its location. Everyone had just finished their own discussions about their topic; the 'millennium items' and were all about to leave.

The thief king stood there alone in the dark alley; he had grown an attachment to the place, it had saved him a thousand times from getting captured by guards in the past, both when he was younger and up until now.

'Someone…anyone, please save me.' The thief heard in his mind, his eyes immediately scanned the area for any other inhabitants except for him, what was that he heard? It sounded like a voice…calling out to him.

The king felt like he was attached to someone, someone who was at the back of his mind screaming and sobbing for him to come. He raced out the alley and followed the sobbing that rang in his ears, it was getting louder and louder, he moved swiftly from roof to roof following the voice with no body until he caught sight of…a 'desert flower'.

End of flashback 

Back at the palace, Ryou and Seth had taken their cloaks off and were walking in the hallway. It was night again, a full moon was glowing its unearthly glow in the black starless sky, it was cloudy and slightly chilly in the palace, after all, nights in the desert were usually frigid.

As they were walking in an outer midsection of the palace grounds watching the starless sky, the priest gazed at Ryou's serene face.

He was beautiful…the moonlight made his skin glow an ethereal glow almost like he was a ghost, his hair slightly blowing in the cool air and those eyes…they just seemed to sparkle as bright as the stars. The moon was his halo and made him look like an angel fallen from heaven that no being could ever surpass his beauty.

"Seth?" Ryou spoke up, noticing the brunette staring at him. The priest immediately snapped back to his senses, turning his head away from the boy to hide a blush.

"Seth, are you all right? Your face is all red." The teen asked, placing a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"No…" the older of the two replied quietly, his blush immediately fading as he recalled the day's events, looking at the teen straight in the eye. "Are you sick? You seemed fine a while ago…is there something wrong?" The serene teen inquired.

They stopped walking for a moment as Seth faced the shorter boy, he placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and spoke with a serious tone in his voice, "Of course something is wrong…you were on the verge of getting raped earlier today Ryou…and I…" he said the rest in a voice so soft it wasn't audible.

"Seth…it wasn't your fault, really, these things…they happen for a reason so don't beat yourself up about it…please." Ryou comforted, "I don't want to see you so down." He added, moving in closer to the priest.

Noticing the closeness that they were both in, Seth drew back, releasing his hold on the boy's shoulders, "It's not all right…my enemy…the pharaoh's enemy…everyone's enemy; Bakura saved you…now I owe him and he could use you against Atemu." The brunette retorted firmly.

"No…he won't use me against the pharaoh, I know he won't" the teen replied.

"Oh yeah I remember, he kissed you! And you know he won't harm you…he probably brainwashed you in that alley when I wasn't around!" Seth spat out of pure jealousy and envy that Ryou thought was just anger. The priest was obviously angry with the thief and was unmistakably infuriated by the fact that Ryou seemed to be on the thief's side.

"He didn't brainwash me Seth, I know him because I am him!" Ryou retorted defensibly; his voice slightly rose. The two stood there silently, Seth slightly confused at the teen's words.

"What are you trying to say Ryou?" he finally asked the boy, who had quickly covered his mouth from letting that small piece of information leak out.

Slowly, the white blond dropped his hands that were covering his mouth and breathed deeply before explaining, "Look, I know that you may not believe what I'm about to tell you but…" he paused, "Bakura is my other half so to speak."

The priest just listened and didn't respond, allowing the teen to go on, "You see in the future, I'm Bakura's host…I got a millennium ring from Egypt as a present from my father once and Bakura was sealed in it, I was for some reason chosen to be his host so…that's how I know him, the future him I mean." Explained Ryou.

"How did you know about the millennium ring? Who told you about it? Who are you really working for? You weren't supposed to know!" the priest asked seriously as if he was interrogating a spy, he pinned Ryou to a wall with his hands on the boy's sides to keep him from escaping. Seth had that serious and scary look in his eyes as he eyed Ryou straight in the face causing the boy to close his brown orbs.

"Seth…you're scaring me," the white blond haired teen whimpered, closing his eyes and trembling. Seth drew his face back a bit but still pinned the said boy to the wall, "I apologize for scaring you" he said, his voice being monotone.

Ryou carefully opened his eyes and spoke, "Bakura…is my other half…I don't know how Bakura got sealed in the ring but he was, when I started wearing the millennium ring as a necklace, Bakura started taking control of my body…we both share a mental link and he could pretty much read my mind with the ring. This is why I know about the millennium items because I too am a bearer of an item." The teen said.

"If what you say is true-"

"Of course it's true! I come from the future don't I?" Ryou cut him off.

"So that thief can manipulate your body and can read your mind?"

"Yes, well back at home that is, I haven't been able to talk to him since I got sent here to Egypt…it's probably because here, Bakura wasn't sealed yet, so that means I can't really use the ring to communicate with him." Ryou added, "What's weirder is that I don't have the millennium ring, I usually have it hanging on my neck as an accessory and it kind of hides itself by disappearing but lately…I haven't been able to make it re-appear."

"In other words, you're his vessel, his host since you hold the ring." Seth clarified.

Ryou nodded his head as Seth let go of him, though this new piece of information about the boy slightly alarmed the priest, he chose to ignore it and decided to still treat Ryou the way he usually did and not think of him as a threat to Egypt, I mean after all, if you had someone who was connected to your enemy living under the same roof you'd be kind of careful with the guy wouldn't you?

After a long silent moment, Ryou finally spoke, "Seth…I think I'll skip dinner, may I go to bed now?"

"Yes…you may."

And so they went to their respective rooms, slightly shocked at the new information and not knowing that a shadow was listening to their conversation also equally shocked as they were with the new information.

"Ryou…is Bakura's other half, his vessel?" Atemu, who was walking through the hallways that night whispered, obviously shocked. Ryou…the innocent Ryou…was a thief king's vessel. The pharaoh had overheard the whole conversation, from the part where Ryou was about to get raped up to the very end, every word, every syllable and still he couldn't believe his ears…'poor Ryou' he thought.

At Ryou's bedchamber, the teen was distressed; he was worried that the priest whom he had a crush on might look at him in a different way now that he had revealed his secret to the brunette.

"He probably hates me and doesn't want to show it." Ryou whispered to himself, closing the door behind him and leaning on it. He sat on the floor and thought about everything that had happened; the rapists, Bakura, Seth's millennium rod, his one shared kiss with the King of thieves…quickly he rose and reached for his notebook and scribbled about everything, not leaving even a small piece of detail behind.

Perhaps Bakura wasn't as evil as people thought he was, perhaps he has a reason…now was Ryou's chance to find out what made his Yami tick, now was his chance to understand the guy and maybe even help him…and perhaps, could he himself have fallen in love with a thief? But how was that? He thought he had fallen for the priest. Now he was really confused.

Necro: There! 7 pages for everyone though it's still kind of short for me, that is if you'd put it in MS WORD with the font on Verdana 9, that's how I type just to let you all know. This chapter is kind of confusing for me coz I had to get Ryou to explain to Seth about the millennium items and stuff, you guys have seen the show so I'm sure you understand what I typed right/ Cricket sounds / I really need to work on my English speech…what do you guys think about it? I hope my writing style and grammar is ok, English isn't my primary language you know.

I kind of think I made Seth a wee bit too nice for his own sake but I made him a little rough when he was interrogating Ryou, I hope that balanced his character again.

Submit a review please! And give me some ideas, it's summer so I think I can update a little more often if you guys help me! I'm having trouble with The Game do you think you guys could give some suggestions?

**R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/


	7. Tunnels of Blood

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer/sigh/ again, YuGiOh + this fic by Necropolis demon, YuGiOh + the series, merchandise, card game, PS2 and PS1 game, movie and mangga Kazuki Takahashi.

Necro: **Guys, Dark Hikari Twilight told me in a review that chapters of this fic have been reposted but those chapters haven't really been altered or anything. I'm sorry about that, you see I gave my friend a diskette of I think 3 completed chapters for this fic that I frantically typed a week before my vacation trip and asked him to post those chapters for me because I was going on vacation and there's no internet cafes at my vacation place (mountains, sort of like a boot camp). Now that I'm back on the keyboard I apologize to you all **/bows and hits my friend/** my stupid friend thought he could make me happy by getting me a lot of reviews, I never should have given him my username and password and asked him to do me this favor (we both share an email address) My friend (who shall go unnamed) apologizes as well. He thought he could make me happy by making me think that my amateur fic got a lot of reviews…he wanted me to be "proud of myself" or something. I'm really sorry about this everyone especially to Dark Hikari Twilight and thank you for pointing this out.**

Thanks to those who answered my question: JadedKatrina and Higuchimon, really, I'm really thankful that you guys explained stuff to me. I didn't know things worked that way.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 6 Tunnels of Blood

Atemu ran through the mazes of hallways, passing the priests and guards in the building until he finally arrived at the palace garden; he always went there whenever he was confused, stressed or lonely, it was after all his 'sanctuary'. He laid himself flat on his back on the grass and looked up at the sky, admiring the beautiful shinning stars and gazing at the full moon, which reminded him of Ryou.

"Ryou…" he said to himself absent-mindedly, "You've been such a delight, you're always smiling and happy…I never thought that you would be…"

"Be what?" a voice interrupted. Atemu quickly sat up and turned his attention to the man' s voice. "Mahado! What are you doing here?" Atemu yelped in surprise.

"I saw you running through the hallways pharaoh…so" Mahado sat on a heap of grass beside his King, "What's on your mind?" he asked like a friend would, offering to help the tri color haired pharaoh.

The King explained to his most trusted priest about Ryou's situation, everything; Ryou's millennium ring, his other half, the incident in the market place, the stolen kiss…everything!

Underneath a ruddy old tavern in the deep bowels of the city, the king of the underground world of shadows and darkness was interrogating a young follower of his.

"So…his name is Ryou?" Bakura spoke, his voice low and rich. That night, Bakura had taken his thief's cloak off and had changed into his usual red robe.

"Y-yes." Nam replied timidly, looking up to the thief king who was standing in front of him as he kneeled before the most feared outlaw in all of Egypt.

"And he is…Seth's brother?"

"Younger brother my king." The tanned boy corrected.

"I see…I guess he's more important to that priest than I thought." The thief smirked, "Boy, you may leave." The king ordered, the boy obliged and left the underground lair of his said king and went back up the surface.

Bakura couldn't help but wonder to himself about the mysterious voice he had heard in his head, the voice that led him to the young pale teen and just in the nick of time too. If he hadn't arrived there just in time, who knows what could have happened to the poor guy? Now that Bakura was positive that the teen was important to his enemy he could now use the boy to his advantage.

But that didn't seem right, he just couldn't bring himself to use the foreigner for some dark deed of his. Reluctantly, he dropped the idea of kidnapping Ryou.

'I'm going soft' he thought, perhaps it was true and perhaps it was not. It's just that he could feel some sort of invisible bond between him and the serene boy that he just couldn't explain.

The sight of the boy had made his hair stand on end, it made his heart skip a beat, what, with those feminine eyelashes and that smooth as silk skin, Ryou himself seemed like a god well…more like goddess…in fact he looks prettier than a goddess.

Deciding to clear his mind, the thief king opened the secret passageway in his room that was hidden behind a hanging piece of tapestry and decided to take a short walk; the passageway was lit by a few torches which made it hard to see, the paths led to an underground palace where there were all sorts of other secret passageways, Bakura of course knew of all these secrets, every secret door led to a specific area of the city. There were shortcuts to the outskirts of the city where camels were always prepared, ready for escape, there were shortcuts that led to dark alleys…there were even shortcuts that led directly into the royal palace, but only Bakura alone knew which paths to take.

The last person who took the risk to use the secret underground tunnels was said to have died in the dark, his corpse never to be found again, because of this incident and multiple incidents before that, the thief king decided to shut off the escape route for everyone. After all, using such a route was like digging your own grave, Bakura often referred to it as the 'Tunnels of Blood' since whichever path he took, he would always see some taint of dried blood on the walls or on the floor.

Some passageways in the tunnel were pitch black, not a single glow at all, which was why Bakura decided to bring a torch. Walking through the semi-dark passageways carrying a torch for extra light, Bakura decided to have some little fun but of course to him fun meant stealing. It had to be a challenge, it had to be something new not just any golden necklace or some thick bangles…he wanted something different…something unique. Not being able to think of something extra eccentric to steal, he decided to do the next most fun thing other than stealing…infiltrating the pharaoh's palace.

Sure he could get in there easily and could have killed the pharaoh numerous times but unfortunately for him the pharaoh was always in safe hands, the entrance to the inside of the palace was actually a loose floor tile that was barely large enough for a human to pass through. He never really used that pathway since he figured that he'd easily get caught, the loose floor tile was in a hallway that was always busy during the day and it was hard to get through that passageway at night because the space was too small for torches…now that there would be a real challenge.

"To the pharaoh's palace it is then." He said to himself smirking upon deciding to do something that would really give him an adrenaline rush then his thoughts reverted back to Ryou. If the boy was indeed the high priest's younger brother then he was bound to live in the palace right?

'But why have I never heard of him or seen him before?' he pondered to himself; information about the pharaoh's brunette high priest was always kept quite confidential. Not a word on the guy's family at all.

The great thief passed through all sorts of passages to reach the exact one that led to the palace hallways, a torch in hand and a dagger in the other, he pocketed the dagger and left the torch in the tunnel so he could fit through the dark and tight passage that led upwards and get the torch later when he returned.

Carefully moving the loose stone tile, he looked around with his eyes and listened to any sudden signs of movement other than his own. Finally deciding that the coast was clear, he got up and settled the tile back into its proper place. He heard a couple of guards coming and immediately hid himself in a dark corner, getting ready to draw out his dagger.

"The pharaoh's guest is really something huh?" a guard with a gruff voice said.

"Yes, I have to admit he really is something…I was one of the guards who accompanied high priest Seth to take that pale boy to a room and I got a close look at him." The second guard said, his voice not as gruff as the first one, "the guy had really pale skin! You'd think he was a ghost and that hair…as white as the moon, I could've sworn the kid was a gift from the gods or something." He added as an after thought.

"So where is he?" the first guard asked.

"He's in that room at the end of the hallway to the left, I have to say that the pharaoh seems to have a liking for this kid…he gave the boy one of the palace's best rooms!" the second guard replied, Bakura was of course listening intently and had figured out that the boy was Ryou, well…listening to chit-chatting guards was pretty informative wasn't it?

As soon as the two guards were out of sight, the thief king emerged from the shadows and headed to the direction of the teen's room.

'End of the hallway to the left huh?' he said mentally, sneaking through the hallways and hiding in different empty rooms to avoid the passing guards, he finally reached the boy's room but unfortunately for him there was a guard standing directly in front of the door who could easily shout out for help.

He decided to give up with the idea of entering the front door and instead turned back, he couldn't risk getting caught by fifty guards in that part of the palace alone and for what? His game?

"Stupid guard." He muttered angrily to himself, guess his game was over. Just when he was about to turn back he heard Ryou's door open and so he hid himself in a corner again.

It was Ryou! The boy exited the room and spoke to the guard saying that he wanted to have a little stroll along the corridors, the guard offered to accompany him but the boy politely declined. And so Ryou set off to clear his mind. Bakura was having an internal debate with himself, here was the boy he had met in the market place all alone, now was his chance to…wait a minute…his chance to what? He never really had a reason for seeing the boy now did he?

Finally deciding to trail after Ryou and spy on the mysterious boy, the expert thief followed his target through various hallways; trying hard not to forget which hallway the loose tile was in. If he were to get spotted by the boy he'd have to immediately rush back to the secret entrance and race back to the tunnel.

As the white blond was taking a stroll down the corridors, Bakura couldn't help but notice that the teen had a somewhat worried expression on his face, as if he had no tomorrow. Cautiously, Bakura edged closer but still kept himself in the dark when he suddenly heard Ryou bumping into someone and landing on the floor.

The pale teen looked up and apologized to the person he had carelessly bumped into, "Sorry about that I wasn't-"

"Are you all right?" asked the taller man who held out a hand.

"Y-yes…" the teen grabbed the offered hand and looked up to be met by a man whose hair was hidden under a headdress, "Aren't you M-Mahado?"

"Yes and you must be Ryou, I've heard so much about you from the pharaoh for you see he speaks very highly of you." Mahado said, " What are you doing walking all by yourself without an escort?"

"I just…needed to clear my head and besides it's not that late in the night to take a stroll now is it?" Ryou politely replied with a sad smile.

"I suppose not…you seem troubled, is there anything I could do to help?" the priest offered.

Ryou gave the priest a sugary sweet smile before declining, "No but thank you Mahado…I don't think you'd understand."

"Well…just know this; The pharaoh, Seth and I will always be glad to help you and will never look at you any different no matter what world you belong to, now then I must be going." Mahado smiled courteously at the pale teen and left leaving the teen to ponder at the priest's words.

"_Will never look at you any different no matter what world you belong to…"_ The boy repeated to himself, that statement had left him slightly confused. Mahado's words and the way he said it…it seemed like he knew the boy's problem, like he knew about his connection with Bakura.

"Weird…" he muttered to himself, at least the priest's words had somewhat given him some comfort in a strange…way that is, and so his smile came back.

Just as Ryou was about to head back to his room, a purring sound caught his attention, "It's you!" Ryou said excitedly, Bakura almost thought that the boy had spotted him but instead of running he figured he should stay for a while to make sure.

"Come here you, you can't hide that white furry head of yours, c'mon" Ryou got to his knees and beckoned the white kitten towards him, ever since Ryou and Seth had returned to the palace Ryou hasn't seen the kitten, who knows where she went.

'Darn…he sees me? Wait a minute…WHITE FURRY HEAD? Is my head sticking out of the shadows?' Bakura asked himself mentally. The thief king made a run and wouldn't you know it…he comes to a stop when he notices a white kitten by his feet.

He turned his head to the crouching Ryou then back to the young kitten, 'so it was your white furry head sticking out not mine' he finally understood. Glancing back to the pale teen he made a mad dash back through the corridors, frantically searching for the loose floor tile.

"Wait!" Ryou chased after the professional thief, trying his best to catch up but all was in vain, by the time the teen had turned at a corner the tanned thief was poof…long gone. The pale teen checked the corridor but found nothing, where could the guy have disappeared? Walking around the hall for one last time, he tripped on a crack on the floor.

Ryou picked himself up; dusting off his clothes then took a closer look at the crack, when he realized that he had stumbled on a lumpy tile not a crack, he crouched down and noticed that it was pretty loose. Lifting up the stone tile, Ryou could feel a soft cool breeze blowing his face.

"What's this?" the white blond pondered to himself, 'could he have gone through here?" he wondered. It seems that Bakura wasn't able to properly close the secret entrance because he was in a hurry to get away from the pale teen.

Hesitantly, Ryou carefully slid down the secret passage, properly putting the loose tile back in place and leaving his pet kitten behind again. "Sorry, I promise I won't be long, I just need to talk to him for a minute, I'll be back" he told the white kitten, suddenly Ryou lost his footing and slipped, falling into the well-like passage only smaller but deeper.

He screamed as he fell through the dark abyss, it seemed like he was dropping forever. His shout echoed throughout the tunnel and could've reached the palace if he hadn't placed the tile back in its slot. Deeper and deeper, it seemed to take forever for him to finally hit the ground and feel the pain from the fall. The teen tried to reach out for any thing, just anything in the dark when he felt a rope brushing his left forearm; quickly he grabbed it and hung onto it.

Now slower than the first descent, Ryou ventured deeper into the abyss with no light to guide him downwards, he had thought of going back up but was too scared to do so, besides he really wanted to see the thief even if it was just a glimpse; it was hard to get down there especially in the dark because his only guide was a sturdy rope, he couldn't even see any cracks that he could use to support his feet.

'Bakura must've jumped right away too like I did and grabbed the rope to stop the fall' the teen thought, realizing that there were no signs of any movements below him. He thought the thief had probably reached the bottom and had escaped faster than he could descend.

When Ryou was in a part of the abyss that was wider and roomier, he felt the presence of another person directly in front of him. Quietly, he reached out and tried to touch the person.

"Ow! My eye!" the voice of a man snarled. He knew that obnoxious voice…"Bakura?" the pale teen wondered aloud.

"You?" came the thief's reply, "you followed me?" he asked in slight awe.

"So it is you!" the teen confirmed, adjusting to a more comfortable pose and steadying his position by using the tight space for support.

"How did you manage to catch up with me so quickly?" the thief asked, also adjusting to a more suitable position for his descent.

"I err…fell, but kind of stopped half way I think when I happened to grab hold of a rope." The shy foreigner replied, embarrassed of his clumsiness.

"Hmp! That was you screaming? No wonder the rope was kind of wobbly when I was descending earlier." Bakura gruffly replied, "Why don't you go back to the palace, I'll bet that idiot Seth is probably looking for you."

"Hey…please don't talk that way about Seth, he's a nice person." Ryou defended.

"Hmp!" huffed the thief King. He made a move to drop deeper but accidentally bucked his waist and brushed his groin against Ryou's. The pale teen gasped and glared at the thief though the bandit couldn't see him, blushing like mad while the thief smirked triumphantly.

Ryou chose to ignore the thief and instead focused on descending deeper, unfortunately for him, Bakura also moved to drop lower and they both went down deeper together. The thief was slightly lower than Ryou's position, which enabled him to move a bit more than Ryou could. Bakura had his left cheek against the pale boy's chest while Ryou's waist was set against the tomb robber's toned abs.

Stuck that way, the two tried to wriggle themselves free and failed, "Stop moving for once will you! I'm trying get us loose!" Bakura snapped at the younger boy.

"Fine then!" Ryou retorted, slightly angry, he used the thief's knee to support himself since he couldn't find a crack to settle his left foot on. The expert thief moved a bit and finally they were loose. "Are you done-Ahhh!" Ryou lost his grip and slipped, once again falling freely with nothing to catch him when he would reach the bottom.

"Ryou!" Bakura jumped as well, trying to catch up with the clumsy boy and perhaps save him.

Necro: Well what do you think? The whole 'Tunnels of blood' thing kind of popped into my head when I was looking at my bookshelf and caught sight of my Cirque Du Freak book 3: Tunnels of Blood. Please submit a review for this fic if you want it to continue or get updated more often. Once again I'll remind you all: **I'm your friend and friends give other friends reviews.**

**SPREAD THE WORD TO EVERYONE: _Thou must read thy necropolis demon's fic!_** **Bakura commands thee!**


	8. First Night in the Thief's Lair

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh just this fic.

Necro: **I am so sorry everyone! I wasn't able to update for I think 2 weeks or something, you see my family decided to have another vacation (I'm not lying! My father is a very unpredictable person) because of what happened before when I asked my friend to post my fics for me while I was away before I decided not to ask him to post my fics for me. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find anyone who could post my chapters while I was away which is why the updates took longer than usual. I'm real sorry!** This is kind of random; it just sort of popped into my deranged mind while I was at a hot spring.

Note: The beginning of this will be a dream but it's a short dream ok. **I just want to tell you guys that this fic's rating will not change ok. My reasons are:**

**I can't write lemon**

**I'm already more than half done with my work**

Destined Duel 

Chapter 7 First Night in the Thief's Lair

"_Please don't…" Ryou cried as he tried with all his might to fend off his attackers who were stripping him of his jewelry and clothes._

_He struggled to get free, he batted fruitlessly at his enemy but it was useless…no matter how hard he tried…no matter how hard he screamed and begged…it was useless…_

_The screaming only enticed his attackers to go on with their dark deed…he yelled, he cried out…his throat hurt…it hurt so much that he felt he was about to cough up blood._

_Why? Why did it have to happen to him of all people?_

"_I beg of you." The boy whimpered…still…there was nothing._

_The white blond let his heart sink, his mind reel…useless, that was what he was…he was useless and weak just like what his Yami said…a pathetic hikari…_

_Light…a string of light…and from it was a hand reaching out for his, Ryou grabbed it and opened his eyes…there he was…_

_His Yami…saving him from the rapists…_

_The dark…saving the light from the shadows…_

Ryou woke up and found himself on a canopy bed in a vast torch-lit room where all sorts of treasures and expensive cloths adorned the walls. He sat up straight and gazed at the glowing gold that filled the majestic room, it was almost like he was in the pharaoh's bedchamber, the gold, the luxury…everything was fit for a king. A slight chill passed through Ryou's lithe form that made him unconsciously embrace himself for warmth, then noticing that he was touching his bare skin he yelped in surprise; he was naked!

Pulling up the bed sheets to cover more of his nudity, Ryou looked around the room in search for his clothes, his thoughts reverting back to his dream…_The dark…saving the light from shadows…_Was that even possible? Could a demon actually be good? A certain demon with white blond hair and a scar over one eye…the teen could have laughed out loud at the ridiculous idea, that is if he hadn't noticed a figure standing by the door.

"Awake now aren't we?" Bakura asked slyly, a triumphant smirk on his face as he leaned by the door with his arms crossed.

"Baku-agh! Ow!" The white blond tried to move but a sudden sting shot throughout his body, more specifically on his right leg, making him wince from the pain.

"Stop squirming around so much or you'll loosen the bandages!" The thief king sauntered to the other boy's side and checked on Ryou's leg. "Great, they're loose again." The thief tugged on the boy's bandages and loosened them just to tighten them again, all the while the thief was doing this seemingly kind act; Ryou noticed that not only his right leg hurt but also other parts of his body, he had bruises all over and a couple of scrapes on his elbows.

**Flashback**

Ryou lost his footing and slipped, falling deeper into the seemingly endless abyss, he tried to hold on to the rope but he couldn't grasp it. Scraping his elbows for his frantic search for the rope, he fainted along the drop and quite possibly could have broken his leg.

The thief king jumped after the teen in hopes of saving him, he descended as fast as he could while cursing himself for letting the boy slip, landing on the ground on his feet like a ninja. Fortunately the drop wasn't that high and Ryou survived though he was unconscious and had a few injuries that might mean that he may not be able to walk properly for a while. Bakura took the torch he left earlier in the tunnel before he ascended to the palace and used it for light as he checked Ryou's pulse and found the boy still breathing with a few wounds and bruises all over his body.

Cautiously, he carried the unconscious teen's lithe body in his arms bridal style, thanking the Egyptian gods for not making Ryou another dead victim for the 'Tunnels of Blood'. He left and extinguished his torch since he couldn't carry it along with the teen, following the faint trail of light from the other torches in the tunnel.

Finally after taking so many twists and turns to get back to the thief king's room they finally arrived. Bakura laid the teen's body on his canopy bed and called some of his followers to tend to the pale boy's wounds and so they did. He left as they began to take off the boy's garments that got dirty during the dusty fall through the earthen abyss and carefully treated his wounds and bruises, being extra careful with the boy's right leg.

**End of flashback**

The white blond teen said nothing to the thief as the guy tightened the bandages. Just then, Bakura noticed Ryou watching him intently with an indescribable expression plastered on his face, whether it was disgust or confusion, Bakura didn't know.

"I'm not a pervert. It wasn't me who took your clothes off if that's what you're thinking." he suddenly spoke up gruffly, thinking that the teen was pondering on the subject.

"I-I wasn't thinking of that!" Ryou blushed.

The thief smirked at the innocent teen, "Were you hoping it was me who undressed you?" his smirk widened, the boy blushed an even redder shade of red and covered his face with the blanket.

"No!" he quickly replied though his voice was slightly muffled due to the bed sheet.

Once again the thief's smirk widened though the pale teen didn't see it, "Are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

"I said are you hungry? Do I have to spell it out for you?" the bandit repeated.

"Um…No, not really…where am I?" the white blond teen asked, fiddling with the sheets and looking down at them.

Bakura sighed exasperatedly, "You're in my underground home understood? You're the only person who isn't a thief who has set foot in it so I expect you to keep this place a secret…any other questions?"

"What…time is it? When you say underground do you mean this place is connected to that passageway we went through?" Ryou inquired.

"It's still night, you've only been unconscious for about an hour I think, your leg's ok it'll heal in time and yes, this place is connected to that passageway." He replied gruffly, "You'll be sleeping here in my room with me since this is the only bedroom here understood?"

"Sleep here? With you?" The pale teen's eyes immediately widened in horror, sleep with a tomb robber?

"Yes, here-with-me." He made a gesture to emphasize every word, "Unless…you have something else in mind." He said suggestively.

"No!" Ryou's head shot up quickly, a blush tainting his cheeks again. The thief just loved teasing the naïve teen, the way the teen would just blush like mad and the way he'd lower his head to look at the floor shyly…it was adorable.

After a moment of silence the thief once again spoke up, "We'll be sleeping on this bed, the baths are over there-" he gestured towards a door, "-and don't even think of going back to the palace through the secret passageway, you'll kill yourself." The thief said this with a serious and threatening tone.

Great, just great, Ryou was now unofficially taken as a hostage and by the thief king himself… how ironic.

Back at the palace, Atemu had every palace guard searching for Ryou. It seems that the guard who was guarding Ryou's bedchamber had reported to Seth about the boy's disappearance.

"We were talking here about an hour ago sire." Said Mahado.

"We have to find him, what if he's in the city all alone? Ra knows what could happen to him!" Atemu flared.

"Please pharaoh calm down." Mahado enticed.

"Calm down? How can I calm down when I know Ryou could be in danger? You of all people should know how thieves would react to seeing someone like him walking around in the streets and at night too!" Atemu snarled, obviously he was really worried about the white blond's well fare. They couldn't find him in the garden, the throne room, anywhere!

"Pharaoh he'll be fine, I already spread the word to everyone within the palace walls and they'll find him." Seth assured, though the truth was he was as worried as the pharaoh…he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault Ryou was gone. The teen might have run away or perhaps worse…he really didn't want to think about it.

"If we can't find him tonight I want you to spread the word throughout the city to look for him in the morning." The pharaoh ordered.

"But pharaoh what about thief King-" Mahado spoke up but was cut of by the pharaoh.

"I know he already knows about Ryou's existence, he did meet Ryou earlier today did he not?" he glared at Seth. "Yes Seth, I know what happened today at the market place, the three thieves, Bakura, his being a vessel, the millennium ring, everything! I just pray to Ra that Ryou's all right."

Everyone in the palace spent the whole night searching for the white blond but all was in vain, they just couldn't find the boy and it really seemed that the boy was in the city. The pharaoh didn't sleep that night, he spent his time praying in a dark room where all sorts of statues of Egyptian gods where at, he prayed and prayed, hoping that the gods would protect Ryou.

"Please…I beg of you…protect him, keep him safe…please…" the tri color haired king prayed, kneeling in front of a statue and whispering prayers.

As the distraught pharaoh prayed, Seth was in his bedroom thinking of a solution to find the boy. That night, he didn't sleep a wink and tried to figure out where the boy could have gone.

At the thief king's lair, Ryou and Bakura were still in the bedroom, staring at each other silly. "What are you staring at?" the thief finally spoke up grumpily.

"Huh? Uh…n-nothing." The shy teen replied, clutching the sheets and looking away.

"C'mon spit it out, what are you looking at?" the darker of the two asked in annoyance.

"Um…I just…I was wondering…um…"

"Wondering what?" the thief king asked, grinding his teeth.

Ryou yelped and spoke in a soft quiet voice, "I was wondering…I-if I could please have some clothes to wear." He requested.

"Hmm…maybe." Bakura said playfully.

"Please?" the white blond squeaked.

"Hmm…let me think about it." For a moment, Bakura seemed thoughtful but then again, "no."

"C'mon, please? I'm really cold!" Ryou begged, though the real reason he wanted to get dressed so badly was because he was really uncomfortable being naked in front of the bandit and if he really was going to sleep on the same bed as the thief, he didn't want to be nude.

"You're cold? Well…you do look really pale." Bakura sauntered towards Ryou's side and sat on the bed, Ryou edging away from the bandit a bit. "Come to think about it, you're skin is so uncommon…are you really Seth's brother?"

"B-Brother? H-Huh…err, yeah, he-he's my big brother." The white blond teen stuttered.

Bakura looked into the young teen's eyes trying to look for a lie, "You're lying, I can tell." He drew back and sat up straight, "Why haven't I ever seen you before?" he asked.

Ryou tried to come up with an answer; he wasn't exactly the world's best liar now was he? "Um…I never leave the palace…Seth doesn't allow me to."

"So you're saying that you've never left the palace your entire life? Because if you have left the palace even once in the past my lackeys would have been sure to notice you and report to me."

"U-um…I-I…w-well I…Um." The teen stuttered, unable to come up with a convincing lie. He couldn't tell the thief who he was, even Seth and Atemu didn't fully know of his secrets.

"I guess you really are cold, you're stuttering like fool." The bandit stood up and left the room to get some clothes for the boy, when he came back he brought along another one of his lackeys who was carrying all sorts of garments for Ryou. Bakura picked out a nice red robe and ordered the man to put away the rest of the garments, the man obliged and placed the other silks on a table and left the two alone.

"Here put this on." The thief gave the teen the red robe and turned around to let the boy get dressed.

Ryou looked at the article of clothing and held it up, he gasped in surprise when he fully saw the red robe. It was beautiful yes, but decent…not so sure; it was an almost transparent red robe with bits of jewels and precious stones embroidered onto it, the sash was also red but not as transparent as the robe. The robe was long and flowing with the top part made out of silk and some transparent red cloth that prominently showed off his bare chest while the bottom half was also translucent and red but underneath that was another piece of red cloth that made it a little more decent than what it should have been.

"I-I'm suppose to wear t-this?" Ryou asked, blushing like mad at the sight of his 'clothes'.

"Yes, it's either that or you're not wearing anything." Bakura turned to face the teen.

"I guess this is ok…" said the teen, Bakura turned away his head once again to give the other teen some privacy; Ryou wore the indecent robe and tied the sash real tight around his waist, trying to remember Seth's instructions on how to wear Egyptian clothes.

"Um, I'm done…."

The darker of the two turned his head to face Ryou and gaped at the magnificent package in front of him, here was Ryou the most gorgeous being any Egyptian ever saw, dressed in see-through clothing…like a bed slave! Bakura blushed at the thought, such an innocent and fragile-looking boy in bed with him…

That night, Bakura slept at the left side of the bed, his back facing Ryou who was at the right side. The thief noticed that the bed was a little too roomy; he turned towards the other teen and saw Ryou sleeping at the very edge of the bed, as far away from him as possible.

"Would you move a little closer here, there's a lot of room on this bed after all." The thief ordered.

Ryou hesitantly moved closer to Bakura but just a little. Frustrated, Bakura once again ordered the teen to move closer.

"Closer." He said bluntly, facing the teen. Again Ryou moved closer but just a bit.

Sighing in frustration, the thief king once again enticed the teen to move closer.

"Closer." He said for the second time. Ryou obliged and again moved closer but was still pretty far away from the other teen.

Suddenly, Bakura growled in frustration at the younger teen's hard-headedness. He pulled the other boy close to him, careful with the boy's leg and snuggled non-too gently. Ryou yelped as the thief pulled him close, so close that the thief's chin was resting on his head.

"B-Bakura!" the white blond teen blushed, trying to break free from the thief's grasp.

"Go to sleep!" Bakura snarled, hugging the boy even more.

The teen blushed even more at their closeness and again tried to break free. "Please Bakura…I can't sleep like this…" he argued, "Y-you're too close…" he whispered in a soft voice.

Bakura sighed exasperatedly and drew back a bit but still had the teen in his arms, "It's punishment for not listening to me. Didn't I tell you to move closer? But no you wouldn't, you had to disobey me…well this is payback, now go to sleep." With that said, the great thief pulled the boy closer, his breath tickling the younger teen's ear.

Ryou tried to sleep in that position and at first felt uncomfortable, every time he'd try to break free from the sleeping figure that was holding him, Bakura would unconsciously cuddle closer. Finally giving up, Ryou slept that way in the arms of the King of thieves, finding it quite comfortable and soothing, he had to admit that having Bakura so close to him made him feel safe and secured…and loved.

Sure Ryou was comfortable and cozy in the thief's arms but he still had trouble sleeping. There was one part when Bakura's hand accidentally laid on top of Ryou's ass causing the white blond to blush, there was also a time when Bakura's face would move a little too close to Ryou's face that their lips would be mere millimeters away, then there was a part when for the second time that night, their groins rubbed against the other's.

'This is going to a long night' Ryou thought to himself, but still he did manage to get some sleep.

Necro: You like? Now if you're all wondering why Bakura's always teasing Ryou and stuff it's because:

He likes Ryou in a strange bizarre way.

He likes seeing Seth all jealous and angry though Ryou seems clueless.

He basically 'stole' Ryou from the pharaoh so he's enjoying pissing off the pharaoh.

He's not as bad as people think, he can be a tease just like anybody else but in my point of view he's…how should I say? Debonair in a teasing/suave sort of way.

**Review please! Review please! Review please! **

**Reviews are much appreciated so please just please submit more reviews, longer ones if possible, I'm you're friend am I not?**


	9. Misunderstanding

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I still don't own YuGiOh and never will period!

Necro: Chapter 8 and I've still got the writer's block…man, this is getting tiresome. I still don't have any fresh ideas. **PLEASE TAKE TIME TO REVIEW MY OTHER FIC: The Game. Please! **

Destined Duel 

Chapter 8 Misunderstanding

Morning came and bathed the desert with its rich glowing light, the sun rose high above everyone in Egypt and whispers of gossip moved from person to person. From the palace guards to the selling merchants to the buyers of the market place until to the whole city, the news of the pharaoh's guest had spread like wild fire in a rainforest.

The high priests themselves had made the announcement to the people of Egypt that the pharaoh will give a reward to the person who finds his guest.

"Pharaoh Atemu has decided to handsomely pay anyone who can return to him the boy named Ryou. I'm sure you will all notice him right away for he is not of this land, he is a young adolescent with hair as white as the moon in the sky and pale skin that seems to be bathed in milk, his eyes are that of a hazy brown color and he has a voice that of an innocent being. Now go and search for the pharaoh's guest and you will be handsomely rewarded." Mahado instructed an official search for the missing teen. "Do not hurt him or you shall face the pharaoh's rage." He added as an afterthought.

Ryou woke up and stared up the ceiling of the thief king's canopy bed, he yawned and stretched before he noticed that he was alone on the bed. Sitting up he looked for any signs of the bandit, it seems that the thief had woken up before he did and had left the room.

He got out a bed and tried to walk but came crashing down due to his injured leg. Remembering Seth and the palace, he used the wall to straighten himself as he headed to the surface. He didn't know where in the city he was, he wasn't even sure if he could get out but still with determination he sauntered upstairs.

Just as he was about to open the trapdoor that lead to the surface he heard Bakura's voice from the other side.

"Master Bakura is it true that you hold the boy named Ryou captive?" a voice of a man asked.

"Yes I have him, I took him last night from the palace." Another voice replied whom which Ryou recognized was Bakura.

"What are you planning to do with him master? Surely you have a plan for him since he is that of utmost importance to the pharaoh." A voice of a woman asked.

"I'm going to use him as a hostage of course, a little torture here and there and the pharaoh will surely break." Said Bakura in an amused tone, "I won't spread the news for a while and I'll let the pharaoh worry. I'll threaten to kill the boy if the pharaoh doesn't cooperate with my ransom, it's that simple."

The thieves laughed their mischievous laughs, how could he? Ryou had just begun to trust the thief and here he is, planning to trade the pale boy's life for gold or worse. Ryou was hurt; it was stupid for him to fall in love with the bandit and to think that he could change him.

With tears in his eyes, Ryou returned to the bedchamber and sat there in silence. He cried…just when he had started to trust Bakura his trust just had to be betrayed. The pale teen decided that he would go back to the palace, back to Seth and concentrate on getting back to his world.

The trapdoor opened and from it came Bakura and two of his lackeys, one was a man with long black hair and tanned skin and the other was a woman, also tanned with short black hair, both were wearing cloaks and both looked dangerous.

"High Priest Mahado wasn't kidding, this boy does have hair as white as the moon." The longhaired man said.

"And his skin…" the woman smirked and licked her lips, "Yummy." She sauntered to Ryou's side and took a closer look at him. "He could pass for a woman with this face." She said, looking down Ryou who refused to look up.

"I know." Bakura walked over to Ryou and cupped the pale boy's chin, lifting up his head to meet the thief's gaze. "Good morning Ryou, hungry?" the king asked, smirking.

The white blond didn't respond; he just sat there quietly, looking at the thief's face with anger that he didn't show. "You two, get us some food." The thief king ordered, "Yes master." The two quickly left the room and came back carrying a small table and all sorts of food and wine. They placed the small table by the bed and placed the food and drinks on it, immediately leaving after delivering the food.

"Eat." Said the bandit, sitting beside the teen and offering Ryou some bread.

Without a word, Ryou took the offered bread and ate quietly. "What's wrong with you? You've never been this quiet." Inquired the thief in a demanding voice.

The pale teen said nothing and continued to eat as if the thief was not in the room. Insulted, the thief king cupped the pale teen's chin, lifting up Ryou's head to force the boy to look at him.

"Don't you ever ignore me when I speak, normally I'd punish people with thirty lashes from a whip for such rudeness." Bakura said, his voice low and venomous though his face seemed blank.

The pale teen looked at the thief straight in the eye, his face expressionless as he nodded in agreement. After nodding, he went back to eating quietly. Bakura took some bread and ate as well, watching the seemingly distraught teen consume the food slowly.

Even after eating Ryou still didn't speak, this of course annoyed Bakura. "Ok now what is wrong with you today?" the king asked in annoyance, standing in front Ryou.

When the bandit didn't get a response he snarled, "Answer me!"

Still, Ryou did not talk; he just looked down at his lap and fiddled with his robe, ignoring the thief. Out of frustration Bakura shoved Ryou causing the said boy to sprawl out on the bed, he straddled the pale teen and looked down at him, his facial features clearly indicating rage. Ryou didn't look the very least shocked at the thief's actions; he just lay there watching the thief on top of him blankly.

"You do know who you're dealing with don't you?" Bakura asked, his face merely inches away from Ryou's. "You know who I am right?"

"Yes." Ryou finally spoke, expression blank.

"Why are you being so stubborn with me? I haven't hurt you in the least bit, you know that." The thief king asked, his voice back to normal.

Ryou turned his head away and looked at the wall causing the thief on top of him to get even more frustrated. Bakura got off the pale teen and left the room to blow some steam off. He just couldn't bring himself to hurt the pale boy so he left.

The white blond sat up and sat there quietly, thinking of his friends at Domino. 'I wonder what they're doing right now.' He thought to himself, standing up and facing the tapestry that covered the secret passage.

Deciding to escape from Bakura's clutches, Ryou stood up carefully so as to be careful with his injured leg and opened the secret passage that led to the Tunnels of Blood, he entered leaving the entrance open for a little light. He ventured deep into the underground passage and took one of the torches in the tunnel with him. Carefully he went deeper and deeper, trying to look for the way that led to the palace but it was useless; there were just too many tunnels but he was determined to get back to the palace, to Domino…he just had to.

So much blood…there was so much blood tainted on the walls that gave Ryou the chills. He saw a skeleton of a man on his way and shivered at the thought of ending up like that. No…he won't die here, not in a dark tunnel, not like this…

After a few minutes of walking or should I say limping in circles, Ryou sat down and rested. He had ventured so deep into the tunnels that he found himself in a part where there was a strong scent of blood in the air and he couldn't go back even if he wanted to. Sighing exasperatedly, the pale teen closed his eyes and relaxed when all of a sudden he heard some sort of noise, some noise that sounded like sand paper being rubbed together.

He opened his eyes and looked around, there was something in there with him, something crawling. Standing up and using the torch to light up the path, Ryou was met by a whole bunch of poisonous scorpions.

"Scorpions!" he yelped, carefully backing away from a dozen scorpions that were advancing towards him, 'This must be a trap or something' he thought. The white blond used the torch to fend off the scorpions but to no avail, he tripped and fell backwards and tried to stand up so he could run but it was too late. Two scorpions had gotten to him first, their stingers burying deep into Ryou's back.

Ryou faltered and quickly stood up; he limped towards the darkness, both his leg and back aching. What was he going to do? It would only be a matter of time before the poison kills him, add the fact that he was stung by not one but two scorpions…he was doomed, doomed to a slow death in the dark.

He limped his way towards the dark, just staggering to any path he could find not even bothering to remember his steps. Ryou tried to focus; he had to get out of there pronto! What was going to happen to him? He just can't get himself killed there…to die of poison and be found as nothing more than a skeleton…

"I should've listened to Bakura." He said to himself panting and trying to catch his breath as he came to a halt, tending to his leg; his leg really hurt and running around made it worse.

Seth was walking in the hallway, the exact hallway where Mahado and Ryou's conversation took place. The priest kept asking himself questions that he knew could never be answered by simply asking himself. Where could have Ryou gone to? If he did leave the palace to his own accord the guards should have at least seen him escape. Why did he go away? Perhaps the teen was upset about his conversation with Seth. Did he…did he go back to his world? It was possible if the shadow realm opened and engulfed the teen without Ryou knowing it…the boy really couldn't control the shadow realm now could he?

The priest looked around the hallway, wondering what Ryou was doing. Ryou's small white kitten approached the priest in a loving way. Seth picked the kitten up and looked at it intently.

"I haven't seen you around lately, have you seen your master?" the priest asked, not expecting a reply from the feline when an idea struck him.

What if the kitten did see Ryou last night? What if the kitten knew where Ryou went? At first it sounded absurd but when you have the power to control the mind…What if Seth could somehow use his millennium rod to control the cat? Perhaps he could ask the cat where Ryou went.

It wasn't impossible now was it? When the rod's controller commands one of his slaves he talks to them mentally, if Seth were to control the cat he'd be able to understand the cat's thoughts now wouldn't he?

Seth pondered on the idea, he'd never tried controlling animals before and he was never that accustomed to using his millennium rod's power. Yes he knew how to use it but he never really got to use its full potential…yet. Here was his chance.

The brunette placed the white kitten on the ground and drew out his millennium rod, just as he was focusing on tapping into the cat's mind the pharaoh entered the scene. "Seth, what are you doing?" the tri color haired pharaoh asked.

It took Seth a few seconds before he could answer, "Perhaps I should ask you that pharaoh, why are you alone with no guards?" he countered.

"I err…was sort of…" Atemu faltered. The brunette priest noticed that the pharaoh wasn't wearing his usual majestic robes or his usual flowing cape and gold instead he was wearing ordinary garments hidden underneath a cloak.

"You were trying to get out of the palace alone weren't you?" Seth sneered, looking at the ordinarily dressed pharaoh straight in the eye.

Atemu paused and took a breather, " Yes…I'm going to look for Ryou myself, now don't change the subject, what were to going to do to that kitten?" he asked.

"I was trying to control this kitten pharaoh…I know this may seem absurd and I've never used the millennium rod on a cat before but I think this could work." Seth answered.

"Why are you trying to control the cat? You should be searching for Ryou not-"

"That's exactly what I'm doing pharaoh, this cat might have been wandering around the palace since yesterday, if so perhaps this feline caught a glimpse of how Ryou disappeared." The priest explained. " I'm trying to tap into her mind and get answers, if this kitten did see Ryou yesterday, that bit of information might help." He added, concentrating on the rod.

The pharaoh did not speak and simply looked at the priest. Seth closed his eyes and concentrated, he pointed the rod at the cat and it started to glow.

The priest found himself in the cat's shoes literally, _he saw how the cat had roamed around the palace…then there was Ryou…looking so sad…there goes Mahado after their conversation…Ryou sees the cat and beckons it to approach him…The cat approaches…a man in red jumps out of nowhere and looks down at the cat…the person is… BAKURA!_

_The thief ran away…Ryou ran after him…the cat trailed behind her master…Ryou stops and seems baffled…he walks around the corridors looking for the thief…the cat follows too…Ryou trips…he gets up and looks at the floor…he notices a loose floor tile…he opens it…there's some sort of secret passage…he goes through it…_

_"Sorry, I promise I won't be long, I just need to talk to him for a minute, I'll be back" the teen tells the white kitten…he descends into the darkness…_

Seth snapped out from the vision he had seen Ryou go through some sort of secret passage near the very hallway he was standing on. "Well? Did you see Ryou?" Atemu asked anxiously.

The brunette nodded and headed towards the secret passageway, remembering the instructions in the vision. Just as he had seen it…he lifted open the loose tile and looked down at the seemingly endless abyss.

"Did Ryou go down there?" the pharaoh asked, not noticed by the Priest. Atemu had followed Seth without the priest knowing, he had been too occupied with remembering the vision.

The priest nodded and spoke, "I'm going down to fetch him." He said, getting ready to descend. The pharaoh on the other hand had a determined look on his face, "I'm coming too." He said sternly.

"You can't, you must stay here in the palace, this could be dangerous." The priest said.

"I'm well aware of that Seth but I can't just stand here and do nothing, who knows? Ryou could be hurt down there…I just can't stay here!" Atemu said firmly, clearly indicating that he wasn't going to be left behind. "I know that this isn't something a pharaoh should do but I'm coming…Ryou's too innocent to fall prey to death, I won't allow it!" he added.

"But-"

"I command you to take me with you!" Atemu commanded.

"Atemu! You know how much the thief king hates you!" The priest countered, his voice hovering over the King's, forgetting to show respect for the pharaoh.

"Are you saying that Bakura is with Ryou?" he asked, reading the expression on Seth's face he continued, "If that is so I don't care! I want to see Ryou safe and sound as soon as possible…I'm coming whether you like it or not Seth!" The pharaoh snarled angrily.

Without another word Seth continued to descend slightly pissed, ignoring the hardheaded pharaoh. As soon as the loose tile was closed, darkness filled the tunnel. Atemu and Seth went down slowly in order not to slip in the dark; Atemu trailing behind the priest, they felt around and got hold of the rope and used it as a guide as they made their way down.

Bakura raced through the passageways of the Tunnels of Blood in search for Ryou; when he had returned to his room the white blond was nowhere to be found, then he noticed that the secret passage was open and so he grabbed a couple of antidotes stored in his room since he knew there were traps and poisons in the tunnel just incase Ryou got poisoned and went after the boy.

The thief king went through every passageway that he could find in hopes of finding Ryou; he had to admit he was worried about the boy…he had never planned to use Ryou as a hostage…never. After going through so many paths tainted with blood and passing a skeleton, he heard a strange noise. Realizing that the strange noise was coming from scorpions, he fled and found himself in another passage where to his surprise and relief was where Ryou was resting.

"Ryou!" the king raced towards the panting Ryou and sat beside him, "Ryou what were you thinking going through these tunnels are you in-" he came to a halt when he noticed that the teen was rather paler than usual.

"Ryou?" he held the boy in his arms and frantically scanned his body, finding what he was looking for. On Ryou's back were puncture marks made by scorpions. Quickly, Bakura pulled out his antidotes and used it on Ryou who was murmuring incoherently.

It had been 5 minutes since Ryou was stung and it was 5 minutes after when Bakura arrived, thank Ra he arrived just in time to help the poor teen. The two of them just sat there in silence, their torches the only source of light. Ryou was still weak and was in Bakura's arms, his head resting on the thief's chest while Bakura allowed himself to be used as the teen's cushion as he fondly stroked the pale boy's hair.

"Ryou…why did you run?" the bandit whispered to the boy.

"I was a hostage wasn't I? It's obvious that I'd run." Ryou answered, his voice so soft and weak…and sad.

The thief king pulled the teen closer and asked, "Why do you say that? I didn't even hurt you."

Ryou looked up to Bakura, his eyes teary, "I-I overheard your conversation with two of your lackeys…you said you were going to use me against-"

"Shhh…" Bakura placed a finger on Ryou's soft lips to hush him, "I had to tell them that but I never really planned to use you as a hostage." He answered, placing a hand on the shorter boy's cheek.

"But-"

"I'd never let anyone hurt you…no matter what happens…" Bakura leaned forward, not to kiss the boy but to just stare at his beautiful brown eyes.

"Why…are you so nice to me?" Ryou asked, blushing at the closeness of their faces.

Bakura; being the so-called ruthless and cold-hearted thief he was, couldn't tell the boy in his arms that he loved him, no…he couldn't, Ryou would probably be angry or…he might hate him…so he decided to just say what he felt in another way…the thief's way, "Let's just say…once I've eyed a treasure that I like, I never want to let go." He answered, smirking.

"Kura…" Ryou breathed in contentment, his Yami did have a good side…Bakura wasn't all that ruthless and mean…there really was a chance for Ryou to change the thief.

Necro: I was rushing on this chapter but I'm glad it turned out ok; you guys have no idea how busy I've been. Again I would like to ask you guys to review. PLEASE! I'm dying to read reviews here!

Don't forget to read and review my other fic: **The Game** PLEASE!


	10. The Shadow Realm Opens

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh or anything for that matter.

Necro: Chapter 9 at last, I need you guys to vote on who should get together ok! Seth/Ryou or maybe Bakura/Ryou coz right now I've been thinking of a couple of endings. VOTE THROUGH REVIEWS! This fic looks like it's going for Ryou/Bakura isn't it? But you should all know that I could be very unpredictable…this could end up as a Seth/Ryou you know so you guys should start voting for your favorite pairing, don't worry I wont be counting the votes I'll be reading your reasons but please **don't bash the opposing character** because I love them both. I'll try and see if I can think of some Atemu/Ryou but I wont make any promises.

Note: I'd just like to explain to everyone that the Tunnels of Blood has parts where it smells like blood and some parts with traps like the scorpion thing ok. And to one of my reviewers who asked about scorpion stings here's my answer: **No I did not research about scorpion poisons but from what I've heard, people who get stung tend to feel the effects of the poison within 3-5 minutes when they keep on moving or was it 5-10 minutes…** /scratches scalp/ **oh well.**

Destined Duel 

Chapter 9 The Shadow Realm Opens

In the darkness of the Tunnels of Blood were Bakura and Ryou, sitting on the floor, side by side and simply enjoying the warmth of each other's presence. Everything seemed fine now that the antidote Bakura bought was neutralizing the poison in Ryou but still…something was nagging Ryou at the back of his mind.

"How's the poison and your leg?" the thief inquired.

"Better." Ryou replied weakly, still in Bakura's arms. "Kura…" he whispered, looking up at the thief, slightly fearful.

"Yes?" the thief replied, looking down at the adorable teen in his arms.

"Can I ask you something?" the pale teen asked shyly, cuddling closer to the thief King.

Bakura thought for a moment then smirked, "Only if you answer my questions as well."

The white blond nodded and asked, "Why…do you hate the pharaoh?" he asked, slightly scared that he might have infuriated the thief.

After a long pause, Bakura answered, "Ryou…The pharaoh he…" the bandit closed his eyes for a moment, trying to hide his pain and anger.

"Kura?"

"The pharaoh destroyed my village; Kuru Eruna…have you heard of that?" he asked, looking down at Ryou. The teen in his arms shook his head no, allowing the thief to continue, "Well, Kuru Eruna was my village and…for a single selfish reason…it was burned to the ground, no one survived except for me that is…I was young when it happened, so very young…and weak." He said the last part with distaste.

"To make a long story short…the sacrifice of my people gave birth to the millennium items, you do know about the items right?" Ryou nodded and Bakura continued, "The pharaoh's men killed the inhabitants of my village…all 99 of them for the sole purpose of creating those items."

"Everyone…they were all slaughtered as if they were simply animals…their souls will never be put to rest. I lost everything that night…that single night. Within the very gold of the millennium items lies the flesh and blood of my people…I vowed to myself that I would take my revenge on the pharaoh…I was the only one left standing, I was the only one who couldn't help them…and so I will avenge their deaths." Spoke Bakura, his head low and his voice serious.

A tear made its way on the thief king's robe as Ryou silently whimpered, the pale teen felt so bad…he felt his heart being torn apart. So this…this was why his Yami was so dark, in his childhood he had been consumed by the darkness, forever vengeful…forever loathing.

"Ryou? Don't cry," the thief soothed, wiping a tear away.

"I-I'm sorry I…couldn't help it, it's just so sad…" he hugged closer to the bandit.

"Now you know why I'm the thief king…forever abhorred by the world above but a pharaoh himself in the world below." Bakura whispered sadly into Ryou's ear.

Silence…Ryou wept and Bakura soothed the teen, his Yami…he really did hurt a lot inside…so sad…so alone. "What about you? Where do you come from?" the king asked, trying to change the subject so the teen wouldn't weep.

"Would you believe me if I said I met you before we met in the market place?" The pale teen asked.

Finally out of the abyss, Atemu and Seth walked in the semi-darkness, using the wall as a guide.

"I never knew there was a secret entrance to the palace." Said Atemu who was trailing behind the priest.

"Neither did I, Ryou's pretty smart to have discovered it." The brunette replied.

"Seth, do you smell…blood?" inquired the king as he sniffed the air.

The priest smelled the air, his eyes widening in horror. It did smell like blood. "Yes…a very strong scent, we must hurry…this scent means someone has died here before."

"I pray to Ra that Ryou's all right." The pharaoh said to himself worriedly.

Ryou did as he promised; he explained to Bakura everything about himself and his world. He explained to the thief about getting sent to ancient Egypt and his hopes of getting back to Japan, throughout the pale boy's story; Bakura merely listened, not saying a world.

"You don't believe me do you?" Ryou asked, halting in the middle of his story.

"I believe you so don't worry." The thief replied blankly.

"So you believe that you were sealed in the millennium ring?" Ryou asked.

"Yes."

"And that I'm you're vessel in the future?" Ryou asked again.

"Yes."

"And that we both share a mental link and you can control my body and stuff?" the teen asked, slightly annoyed at the thief's lifeless replies.

"For the last time yes!"

"You're lying! You think I'm crazy don't you?" the teen pouted, crossing his arms. The thief king smirked and whispered into the teen's ear, "Ryou…I believe you, doesn't it bother you that I came to your rescue when you were about to get raped?" he asked.

Ryou pulled back, expression perplexed. How DID Bakura know that Ryou was in trouble that day? "How did you-" he started.

"I heard a voice…in my head, I felt like there was someone at the back of my mind nagging and calling out for me…that was you wasn't it?" Bakura asked, looking at Ryou straight in the eye.

The pale teen then recalled, he did try and use the mind link before. When the upper half of his robe was opened he did try and call out for Bakura…so that meant…the mind link still worked in this world!

"Bakura…"

"Ryou-" just then, the thief heard a sound…a sound of coming footsteps. No one used the Tunnels of Blood anymore…who could it be?

"Stand up" he whispered to the white blond in his arms. Ryou obliged and carefully stood up with the aid of Bakura. The foot steps grew louder and louder…

The thief king pulled out his dagger and prepared to attack, Ryou behind him. Louder and louder…Closer and closer…the two didn't make a sound, they simply looked ahead of them, ahead at the darkness, expecting an attacker.

"Ryou!" came the pharaoh's voice, echoing throughout the tunnel.

"Pharaoh?" Ryou yelled, recognizing the tri color haired king's voice.

"Ryou?" Seth's unmistakable voice came after, the walking footsteps rang louder and to everyone's surprise, Seth and Atemu emerged from the darkness and came face to face with a ready to attack Bakura and the innocent Ryou.

"You again!" Seth snarled, pulling out his millennium rod.

"Bakura." The pharaoh hissed in hatred.

"Hello pharaoh, come to meet your death haven't we?" Bakura smirked, planning on advancing towards the disguised pharaoh.

"Ryou are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Atemu asked, still staring angrily at the thief.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Ryou replied, looking back and forth between the thief, Seth and Atemu.

"You fiend! You kidnapped Ryou didn't you?" the king accused, pointing an accusing finger at the bandit.

"Please, Bakura didn't kidnap me-" the pharaoh cut off Ryou.

"Ryou, please don't make any excuses for this bandit. We know he kidnapped-" Atemu got cut off by his priest.

"Ryou speaks the truth pharaoh." Seth intervened, lowering his millennium rod.

For a second there, Bakura and Atemu even Ryou looked confused. Was the priest siding with the thief?

Atemu looked perplexed and confused for a moment, then he asked, "What do you mean Seth? Explain yourself."

"Ryou followed the thief here…he wasn't kidnapped, he went here willingly." The priest explained, glaring daggers at the thief.

"I don't understand…Ryou?" Atemu asked, his anger decreasing, turning his attention to the teen.

The pale teen took a breather and explained, "You see, I was chasing after him and well…I ended up here."

After a couple of moments of glaring daggers at each other, Seth and Bakura finally lowered their weapons. "Ryou…are you sure that thief didn't hurt you?" Atemu asked, hiding his anger towards the thief king who was also doing the same.

"Please I'm-Ow!" Ryou faltered, the priest and the king took a closer look at Ryou's body, noticing a few cuts and scrapes on the white blond teen's elbows. Ryou, they noticed was also limping.

"You no good fiend! You did hurt Ryou didn't you!" once again the pharaoh's anger rose.

"Pharaoh-Agh!" the pale teen tried to saunter towards the tri color haired pharaoh but faltered when his leg started to hurt again, forcing him to limp. Bakura caught the pale teen in his arms and saw the pharaoh getting even more frustrated.

"Don't you dare touch Ryou you rapist!" Atemu snarled.

"Rapist? Me? You dare to accuse me as such?" the thief king scowled.

"Pharaoh, this isn't what it looks like-" The blushing white blond teen tried to explain but was cut off by Atemu.

"You're limping!"

"Please, I just broke my leg and got a few scrapes…Bakura here was kind enough to get my injuries treated." The pale teen explained.

"Okay…now why are you dressed like a bed slave?" Seth asked suspiciously. It was indeed suspicious that the pale teen was limping and dressed so…so indecently.

"Um…err…" was all the pale teen could come up with.

"You shameless tomb robber!" the pharaoh snarled, at this Atemu lunged at the thief king who was caught off guard and attacked him.

Bakura accidentally dropped his dagger and had to fight Atemu with his bare hands, they threw punches and kicks at each other, fighting to the death. Ryou was begging the two to stop, as Seth was about to attack the thief. Just then a familiar black fog surrounded the four of them.

"What? What is this?" Seth asked aloud.

"It's the shadow realm!" yelped Ryou, at this everyone ceased fighting and started to panic.

"I demand to know who opened the shadow realm!" the pharaoh snarled, they had to get out of there, getting vanished to the shadow realm was not their ideal way of dying.

Slowly then rapidly, the black fog engulfed the four of the from below, they tried to run but couldn't as the surroundings turned pitch black. Everything seemed hopeless…the shadow realm was waiting for them…they were going to die.

Darkness hovered over the lit torches and filled the passageway making everything seem to just disappear. Ryou opened his eyes that he didn't even notice were closed and looked around. The same…the same as before…blackness…emptiness…nothing…

Ryou shouted out, "Bakura! Seth! Pharaoh! Are you guys all right?" just then the pale teen heard a faint yell.

"Ryou? Are you there?" came Atemu's concerned voice.

"What is going on here?" next came Bakura's voice.

"Ryou, Is this how you got sent to Egypt?" Seth asked.

The white blond realized it…this was exactly how he got sent to another time…just like this…to be vanished without warning and to find some sort of light… "Yes…this is exactly what happened!" he replied to Seth.

"I see something! It's some sort of light, do you see it?" the pharaoh asked, he had seen some sort of white light.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the pharaoh's voice…there it was…light! They reached out to grab it.

The whole world seemed to be spinning the moment they reached out for the possible exit; they all closed their eyes and felt their feet being dragged off the ground if there was a ground. Just spinning…and spinning…until…Blank…they all fainted…

Necro: Ok, this wasn't one of my longest chapters and I'm sorry. I was in a hurry to finish this particular chapter.

**R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/

Don't forget to check out my other fic ok, please just give it a chance, it's called **The Game** and you'll find that it's going to have a little likeness to real life romance and it'll be different from what people usually expect from a KaibaXRyou fic. Just like this fic it wont have lemons but please try reading and reviewing it, it'll get better as the chapters progress.

**The Game** is a fic about Ryou and Kaiba's blossoming relationship, at first they're simply classmates then Ryou joins Kaiba's contest and catches Kaiba's attention with his cleverness then they go deeper…

Tell friends to read…spread the word!


	11. Past Meets Present

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.

Necro: I'd really appreciate it if you guys would submit more reviews, please? We have a crisis! The Game isn't getting as much reviews as I expected it to get! Oh no!

Note: there was one reviewer who reviewed my chapter 3 who asked me if the kid from Egypt named Nam was Malik's past self and I explained in chapter 4 that he wasn't BUT I didn't say that he wasn't in some way related to Malik's ancestor now did I? Surprise!

You guys know that Shadi sort of just pops in uninvited right?

**Destined Duel**

Chapter 10 Past Meets Present

The white blond teen opened his eyes to the dark star-lit sky and saw an airplane pass by…blinking and zooming past…over the sky. Ryou rubbed his chocolate eyes and blinked…what happened? Then…he faintly heard the familiar voices of his friends who were crouching down beside him…talking to him…everything seemed like a blur…

"Ryou! He's awake!" came Malik's excited shout.

The pale teen sat up and looked around, noticing that he was on the school's rooftop at night, some of his friends sitting beside him, hugging him to death…was Egypt just a dream? Had he been unconscious all this time? He wasn't in Egypt…he was in Domino, Japan…there was no Atemu…no Seth…no Bakura…how sad.

Looking down at his lap while his friends were still talking to him…he noticed…since when did his uniform turn into red silk? And…why was Malik here?

"Malik?" Ryou yelped, surprised to see his Egyptian friend in Japan, the blond merely smirked at the pale teen. The pale teen stood up with the aid of Malik and looked around, noticing three other unconscious figures that were waking up as well.

Ryou limped towards the awakening figures; the first to rise was Yugi then came Kaiba, he knew it was them not the Egyptians because they were dressed ordinarily, "Are you two all right?" he asked with concern, ignoring his own conditions.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy, what about you Seth?" 'Yugi' asked the brunette beside him.

Ryou paused then turned to his tri color haired classmate, "What did you just call him?" he asked in slight shock.

"Seth" replied the shorter teen, trying to stand up.

Realizing that his trip to Egypt wasn't a dream, the pale teen asked, "Ph-pharaoh? Pharaoh Atemu?"

"Ryou…what happened? Where are we?" the pharaoh asked, standing up in a slight panic. Yugi's gang along with the Ishtals stood there dumbfounded…Did Yugi hit his head HARD? Just then 'Kaiba' stood up, rubbing his temples.

"Ryou…you're all right." Said the brunette.

"W-what is going on here? How did? What happened-how could…Seth? Wait" Ryou stuttered then realized something, "Where's Bakura?" he asked frantically.

As if on cue the third unconscious figure woke up though there was something strange about him. He blinked and looked up at the people standing not too far from him, noticing Ryou. The 'Egyptian' rubbed his temples and stood up then vaguely noticed, he was still wearing his clothes but why did they seem loose? And since when did his skin turn so pale? A little freaked out he touched his hair…same old white blond hair but then again…it was longer!

"Bakura?" came Ryou's soft voice as he and his friends directed their attention to the tomb robber.

"Oh Ra! What happened to me?" Bakura asked in shock, touching his face, searching for the scar that was once over his eye.

Everyone was in a state of panic and shock…if Kaiba and Yugi weren't whom they were supposed to be then what happened to them? And how did Bakura's appearance change like that? In the middle of the confusion Bakura snarled at Atemu, "You! This is all your fault!"

Just when another brawling between the two kings was about to start, a voice spoke up, "All this confusion is happening because of the bending of the shadow realm." Came Shadi's voice, the mysterious Egyptian appeared from nowhere and stood behind Bakura who immediately turned his back and sauntered to Ryou's side.

"Shadi, do explain to us what is going on." Isis asked.

"It is simple…because the shadow realm has been bent and used for time travel there are certain side-effects." Shadi looked over Atemu and Seth who were in Yugi and Kaiba's bodies.

"Why am I dressed this way?" Seth asked, referring to his trench coat.

"That is not your body great priest, that is the body of your reincarnation; Kaiba, the same goes for you mighty pharaoh, that is the body of Yugi, your counter part." The man wearing a turban added, gesturing towards Atemu, "You see, when you two traveled through the shadow realm, your bodies were not allowed to go with you and were left in the shadow realm uninhabited so upon arriving here in Ryou's time, you have inhabited the bodies of your counter parts here."

"I guess we really are in Ryou's world aren't we Seth?" the pharaoh stated and the priest nodded.

"And what about me? How did I end up looking like Ryou?" the bandit asked.

"I am not sure, it is one of the side-effects of bending the shadow realm I suppose. Ryou is after all your counter part and he did travel through time as well so you did not end up inhabiting his body and instead you have your own though it is merely a double." Shadi replied.

"Wait, if these two aren't Yugi and Kaiba then what happened to our friends?" Tea asked, gesturing towards the two 'Egyptians'.

"They are safely sleeping within their soul rooms, there is no need to worry but for now the pharaoh and high priest will be the ones to use those bodies."

"How did we get sent here in the first place?" Atemu asked.

"I'm sorry to inform you that I do not know pharaoh." Shadi replied.

"Ok since that's settled, may I ask why they are here?" Ryou asked, gesturing towards the Ishtals.

The gang explained to Ryou everything that happened in Domino while he was in Egypt, they explained to him that the Ishtals were here with the help of Shadi to guide them and that only a day had passed in Japan.

Flashback 

The night before, the Ishtals had arrived at the hospital and had explained to the gang that Shadi had informed them that Ryou was going to return to Domino tomorrow at night. The next day was a Saturday of course and Kaiba had given strict instructions to the police as well as the school to keep the school rooftop out of bounds to everyone else except for Yugi's friends, the Ishtals and the Kaibas saying that it was KaibaCorp business. It seems that the hologram of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Necrofear hadn't disappeared even after the duel disks had malfunctioned and that might've caused a rise of suspicion among the students if they were to find out. I mean, wouldn't you be suspicious as to why there are duel monsters on the school rooftop and no holographic projectors in sight?

Shadi said that as long as the two monsters were still there due to the shadow magic, Ryou could still come back to Domino. If the pale teen were to return to Domino he would definitely appear at that spot.

So, later that night everyone went to school and met at the rooftop awaiting the arrival of their classmate who had been missing since yesterday; Kaiba got out of the hospital as well to await Ryou's arrival. What they all didn't know was that Ryou would be bringing a little something from the past along with him.

The shadow realm had opened and from it came Ryou as expected and another person who looked exactly like Ryou; that was Bakura. While this was all happening, Kaiba and Yugi had suddenly fainted and never woke up…that is, only their bodies woke up but not with their minds, instead with the minds of the pharaoh and the priest.

End of flashback 

After Ryou's friends had explained to him everything that had happened in Domino while he was away, they got to the serious questions…namely.

"What's with the transparent clothes Ryou?" Mokuba asked suspiciously, raising a brow at the pale teen and the other ancient Egyptians.

The pale teen blushed in embarrassment once he remembered his 'attire', darn Mokuba…never lets any small detail escape, "Well…err." Ryou faltered then laughed nervously as he noticed that all eyes were on him.

Mokuba's gaze turned from a blushing Ryou to the three ancient Egyptians who had their faces low as they tried to avoid everyone's gaze. The black haired boy intently watched the three ancient Egyptians, looking for any reaction at all, "You guys didn't do anything…'intimate' did you?" Mokuba sneered, catching Bakura, Atemu and Seth shifting uncomfortably.

Really! And you'd think a boy that young wouldn't know about…SUCH things…innocent children aren't always what they appear, "Mokuba! N-nothing happened ok." Ryou mumbled shyly, looking down at the floor and averting his gaze from the heavy pressure of everyone's stare.

"Right…" Mokuba replied mockingly.

Oh sweet silence…Joey decided to break up the awkward air so he changed the rather personal subject with something else…

"So, you're a high priest or something huh?" Joey suddenly asked Seth, changing the subject and getting rid of that awkwardness in the air. Seth merely ignored the blond and walked towards Ryou. "Hey! I'm talking to ya'!" he yelled at the snobbish priest and muttered under his breath, "that's the past Kaiba all right."

"Your leg still hurts doesn't it?" the priest asked Ryou who was clinging onto Malik.

"Yeah it still does." The pale teen answered, without another word, Seth bent down and closed his eyes then began chanting. Ryou could feel some sort of warmth over his injured leg as well as his other injuries including the wounds from the scorpion stings.

A yellow glow surrounded Ryou and as soon as the priest ceased to chant it disappeared. Seth stood up and backed away, "Does it still hurt?" he asked the pale teen.

Ryou gave his leg an experimental step; it didn't hurt anymore and his other injuries disappeared as well, not leaving a single scar! "The pain is gone!" he said in astonishment.

"That's Seth for you, an expert in all sorts of magic, even healing spells." Atemu spoke up.

"Thank you Seth." The white blond thanked with a cheery smile, bowing in appreciation.

Bakura rolled his eyes and thought, 'show off!' Ryou's friends gaped at the little performance; Seth was the real thing! "Could we go now? It's quite cold here." Bakura interrupted.

They all got off the rooftop except for Shadi who disappeared again and headed to Kaiba's mansion with Mokuba's permission, the others took a cab while Mokuba, Ryou and the other time travelers took Kaiba's limo; Kaiba always had a strict rule about guests using his limo and he really didn't want Joey in it.

During the ride, Atemu who was sitting by the window kept on pointing out all sorts of stop signs and other cars, asking stuff about them. Mokuba sat between his brother who was by the window and Bakura who sat in the center beside Ryou who was answering Atemu's questions.

Upon arriving at the mansion, they all gathered in the living room, waiting for the Ishtals and the others to arrive. When everyone had arrived they sat on the sofas and continued their inquisitions.

"So this is Seth's home and that is his little brother Mokuba." Atemu stated, gesturing towards the black haired youth.

"Yep, and you're Yugi, my brother's rival." Mokuba explained.

"My, isn't all this interesting." The pharaoh said, smiling.

"Why don't we all introduce ourselves to each other." Ryou suggested minimizing the confusion among his friends.

"Ok, Um, I'm Tea, Tea Gardner, a pleasure to meet you guys." Tea introduced herself.

"The name's Joey Wheeler, nice to meet ya'!"

"And I'm Tristan, Tristan Taylor." The guy with a point on his head smirked.

"I'm Mokuba Kaiba as you now know."

"And I'm Malik Ishtal, I'm Egyptian too."

"My name is Isis Ishtal, Malik's older sister."

"And I am Rishid."

"Hello, a pleasure to be acquainted with all of you, I am Atemu the past pharaoh of Egypt." The pharaoh introduced himself then gestured towards the priest who was sitting on a sofa with one leg over the other, "And this is my high priest Seth."

"Bakura…King of all thieves." The thief king bluntly spoke, moving his gaze towards Malik and his sister, "You are Ishtals right?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Yes we are. Why do you ask?" Isis replied.

"I knew someone who was an Ishtal…he had the same blond hair as you did." The thief pointed to Malik, "Tomb keepers?"

"Yes, you knew our ancestor?" Malik asked in fascination.

"Yes I did, he was a good friend of mine and his name was Namu Ishtal."

"Nam? Bakura are you referring to that child at the market place?" Ryou asked.

"That kid? No. I meant his adoptive father Namu Ishtal. Ishtal is a good man, he would sometimes give my fledgling thieves some food…his favorite was that kid whom he named after himself, the one that you met Ryou." He bandit explained.

After their conversation and a little argument between the pharaoh and the thief king or two, they all decided to go home and rest since they planned to take the Egyptians to the mall tomorrow morning. Mokuba gave Tea Kaiba's cell phone number so that she could call Ryou; who will be using the CEO's cell phone since he left his back at Egypt tomorrow as to what time they would be going to the mall or if they were to meet up at a certain place. As the others bid farewell to each other, Mokuba asked Ryou if the pale teen and Bakura could perhaps sleepover, which was exactly what Ryou was thinking as well; he can't just leave either Seth, Atemu or Bakura alone now could he? Think of all the mayhem!

Mokuba sent some of his servants to go to Yugi and Ryou's homes to fetch a couple of things for Ryou, Bakura and Atemu, things such as clothes and such. The Ishtals went back to their hotel and gave Ryou Malik's cell phone number as well. Once the others were gone they all headed upstairs as Mokuba showed them to their rooms; Atemu's room was beside Bakura's while Ryou's room was beside Seth's or Kaiba's.

Bakura went to his assigned room without a word while Ryou was with Seth in Kaiba's room and Mokuba was with Atemu. Kaiba's room was quite large with air-conditioning and an office desk at a corner with all sorts of paper work and a laptop, there was a large canopy bed in another corner with blue curtains and sheets and there was a door that led to the bathroom, there was no T.V. set though since Kaiba didn't want any distractions whenever he was working in his room.

The room had a high ceiling and a large window that allowed the moonlight to enter. The pale teen switched the light on and found Kaiba's nightclothes on the bed already prepared earlier.

"Why don't you get changed while I check on the pharaoh?" Ryou suggested, handing over the nightclothes to the priest. The brunette took the offered clothes and as Ryou was about to leave the room, he called the boy's attention in slight embarrassment.

"Ryou." He called out, a pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt in his hands.

"Yes?" For a moment, the white blond paused and eyed the priest before realizing what the problem was, "Oh! Sorry I forgot there were no jeans back at Ancient Egypt." The pale teen apologized, closing the door behind him and walking over towards Seth.

"First you should take this trench coat off." Ryou slipped the white coat off of Seth. The white blond taught the brunette how to take the clothes off and told him what to wear. Ryou blushed when Seth took his black long-sleeved shirt off without warning and went commando; the priest noticed this and quickly slipped on a T-shirt.

"I apologize, I didn't know you were so…shy." Seth apologized.

"No, it's all right…I should be the one apologizing here, I'm the one dressed in transparent clothing aren't I?" the pale teen gestured towards his indecent red robe and smiled in embarrassment. "Actually I'm quite surprised my friends didn't make such a fuss about my attire." He gave a nervous laugh, "I was sure they'd go 'I know something happened Ryou.' or 'don't lie to us, we know you're hiding something' I just can't believe an innocent young boy such as Mokuba could actually be so…err observant." He gave another nervous laugh.

"They were probably too busy gaping and drooling to make such a fuss about it." Seth accidentally said out lout.

Ryou giggled, "I didn't know you could joke." He smiled sweetly at the priest who blushed a bit but quickly willed down the blush.

The white blond teen turned around to give the priest some privacy while he was getting undressed, once the brunette was done changing Ryou turned to face him.

"Did I wear these properly?" the priest asked.

"Yes you did." The slightly shorter boy smiled, looking over the priest's form to check if Seth got everything on right. "Hey…thank you for everything you did for me back at Egypt, really." Ryou thanked, smiling his sugary-sweet smile at the priest.

"You're welcome."

"I mean it, thanks for showing me around the palace, taking me to the market place…" said Ryou.

"The pharaoh simply ordered me to." Seth clarified.

"Showing me some magic, shopping and having fun with me…being my friend…" At this point, Ryou looked down then looked back up at the priest and smiled. "Thank you, I really mean it Seth."

Seth fell silent upon hearing those words, _being my friend_…when was the last time he was called a friend? No idea…

"Enough of this touchy feely moment…you sound like you're saying goodbye." The priest spoke to break up the emotional atmosphere.

"Huh? I do? Oops." The pale teen giggled, scratching the backside of his head. "I'm going to go check on the pharaoh ok." With that Ryou left the room leaving Seth staring at his retreating form.

Once the door was closed, Seth whispered, "I love you…" then smiled.

Necro: Eeep! I made Seth all mushy/hits head with the keyboard/ Ouch that hurt… /nurses my head/ was it ok? You know the 'Seth whispering I love you' thing? It's not too OOC is it? I'm trying my best to keep their personalities intact you know! REVIEW PLEASE! Don't forget to read and review **The Game** ok.

People should really give The Game a chance…pretty please/puppy dog eyes/

**R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/


	12. Confession

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh is not my property!

Necro: Hello everyone! Man I can't believe this amateur fic lasted for so long. I thank you all for your support! There's an AtemuXRyou moment here that I made for **diabound24** who has been waiting for Atemu to make a move on Ryou. It took a while for me to make this scene and I apologize for making all of you wait in anticipation for Atemu's turn on romance. I'm so happy (ok not happy as in sugar-high happy) that people have started pointing out some of my downsides, thanks! **Sorry if my explanations about the last chapter here are kind of long, I'm actually a critic you see and well…you know how critics can get…we can be a bit wordy.**

Note: To **Dark Hikari Twilight**, I'm very happy and lucky to have you as one of my reviewers, really I am. You were the one who pointed out that 'reposting error' back when my friend was in charge and back when I forgot to make sure that my account would accept anonymous reviews, a million thanks for that. It's sad to see that you don't like my other fic that much…I can't force you to like it though but I did start putting some interesting stuff in my latest **chap 5 Classy Party Catastrophe**. Maybe you could give **The Game** another chance please? In that chapter, **Kaiba gets into a fistfight and Ryou's the center of attention in the yacht party…please?** Everyone else who reviewed chap 5 of The Game really liked those parts so I hope you'll at least give my other fic another chance… /puppy dog eyes/ you are like an older sibling to me here in by pointing out my flaws and such. If you still don't like it that much I understand and hope that you'll continue to review Destined Duel.

To **diabound24**, I know they seemed a little **peaceful and composed** in the last chapter and I did sort of figure that out before. At first I was going to get everyone all panicky but as you've read I put in Shadi and you know Shadi, his mysterious air seems to just fill the atmosphere with it so everyone pretty much thought more of getting an explanation for everything rather than panic first. Basically I tried portraying the proper etiquette of leaders, elites and such (this is pretty much how my rich and powerful friends act when they're confused, they compose themselves and refuse to show weakness) Shadi's presence pretty much calmed everyone down a bit, well at least to a state where they're not jumping up and down yelling "Oh my Ra! Oh my Ra!" frantically.

About **Bakura's character** here, well it's due to the fact that; one, I can't perfectly portray some of the characters' emotions since this isn't a POV story, second, he was a bit more occupied with the world he's in and third…I thought that I shouldn't get much into Bakura's side in these coming chapters so Seth will have a chance to step in, this has been done so people wont know what the final pairing will be. I hope my views explained to you and everyone why the last chapter ended up like that.

The **Seth saying I love you part**…let me explain about that, it was just one of those moments like in the movies wherein the character randomly has the urge to let out his emotions but can't confess his love to the person he's in love with …this is why I didn't make Ryou hear the last 'I love you' comment from Seth. Don't worry, when Seth confesses his love it wont be simple…I'm actually having a hard time thinking of an ending though… And lastly the **final battle between Seth and Bakura**…it's still not popping out yet but I'll get to it ASAP don't worry. **Thanks for the review diabound24, I appreciate it and don't worry I'm not mad at you or anyone, I'm rather thankful actually…**I feel so at home here at Duel

Destined Duel

Chapter 11 Confession

Ryou exited the priest's room and entered the pharaoh's. The pharaoh's room was air-conditioned like all the other rooms and was only lit by a bedside lamp, it was huge just like all the other rooms in the manor and had a canopy bed just like Kaiba's though the curtains were a regal red rather than a stoic blue, there was a T.V unlike in Kaiba's room and there was a door that led to a bathroom as well. Upon opening the door, Ryou was met by a flying pillow, hitting him squarely at the face. The two pillow-fighting inhabitants of the room ceased their childish antics and turned their attention towards the white blond new comer.

"Oops, sorry about that." Mokuba apologized with a grin.

"It's ok." Ryou replied with a bright smile plastered on his face. He picked up the pillow and threw it back at Mokuba who quickly threw it at Atemu.

"Hey! No fair! You hit me without warning!" the pharaoh argued playfully, sitting on the bed beside Mokuba. The pharaoh was still wearing his Egyptian cloak since Yugi's stuff wasn't brought up yet. Mokuba merely chuckled and got off the bed.

"I'm going downstairs to check on your stuff ok." With that said, Mokuba exited the room and headed downstairs to check if the servants had arrived from their errand.

"You seem to have gotten along quite well with Mokuba." The pale teen smiled, sauntering towards the pharaoh's side.

"Well, he's a really nice child, very good at throwing pillows." The king chuckled.

Ryou sat beside the pharaoh and spoke solemnly in apology, "I'm terribly sorry that I've gotten you into this mess pharaoh…and I'm really thankful for everything you did for me back at Egypt." The white blond apologized, his head low.

Atemu looked at the boy's expression and cupped Ryou's chin, lifting up the teen's face, "This was not your fault Ryou…I suppose you could say it was inevitable, besides I'm actually enjoying myself here in your world." He gave a smile.

"But still pharaoh-"

The king placed a finger upon Ryou's soft lips to hush the teen. "I'm not a pharaoh here so please call me by my name, I insist."

"Still Atemu, I'm really sorry for dragging you along with all this." The pale teen apologized, using the pharaoh's name as requested.

The tri color haired king gave a smile and let go of his hold on Ryou's chin, "It's all right, besides I would love to see more of your world, would you show me?" the king asked.

"Tomorrow Atemu, my friends are taking us to the mall tomorrow to show you guys around." The pale teen replied with a smile.

"I don't know what a 'mall' is but that's wonderful! I'm just so amazed with your world." The king chirped excitedly, "There are so many things around here of all shapes and sizes…I would love to know all about them, like this for example. What is it?" he pointed towards a bedside lamp that was switched on earlier, probably by Mokuba.

Ryou smiled at the king's inquisitiveness and explained, "It's a bedside lamp, sort of like a torch or a candle but you don't really use fire."

"How can there be light without fire?"

"Well, this is being lit by something called electricity and the reason that this light doesn't burn the skin is because it's from a light bulb." Ryou explained. "You flick this switch and the light goes off." He flicked the switch off. "And if you flick it back on the light comes back, see." He flicked the switch on.

"Amazing! Your race of people has controlled the sun!" the king exclaimed in awe.

The white blond giggled at the pharaoh's enthusiasm, "It's not the sun."

"But still you have controlled light!" stated the pharaoh.

Ryou giggled once again and reached for the remote on the bedside table. The inquisitive king glanced at the black colored remote and asked Ryou about it, "What is that?"

"This is a remote, it's used for turning the T.V. on," the white blond explained.

"What is this 'T.V'?" asked the pharaoh.

Ryou sat up straight and pointed the remote at the T.V. set facing directly at the bed; he pressed the 'on' button on the remote and the T.V. jolted awake. "That is a T.V." Ryou pointed at the T.V. behind the pharaoh.

Atemu turned his back and faced the T.V, gaping in awe at the images shown. "Unbelievable! How did you manage to put all those little people inside that black square?" he questioned in astonishment.

"Here, you try it." The pale teen handed Atemu the remote and taught the king which buttons to press for changing channels, adjusting the volume, turning the T.V. off and etc…

The serene white blond couldn't help but smile at the pharaoh who was beaming like there was no tomorrow at every flick of a channel. Finally the pharaoh turned the T.V. off after scanning a couple of channels and turned to face Ryou. "This T.V has so many moving pictures in it!" Atemu exclaimed.

"Tomorrow I'll show you even more interesting things." Said the white blond, smiling at the king. "Atemu…I know I haven't given you much credit for helping me back at Egypt so if there's anything, anything at all that you need just tell me." The pale teen insisted.

The tri color haired pharaoh smiled at the serene male who was sitting directly in front of him, "Ok then, I want you to turn the lights off." He requested.

The white blond turned his back and reached for the bedside lamp to flick it off, as soon as moonlight filled the room he was caught by surprise when he turned to face Atemu and was met by a pair of moist lips connecting with his own. Ryou gasped at the pharaoh's unexpected action and fell back when Atemu gently pushed him so that he would be flat on his back with Atemu on top of the teen. Ryou's head softly landed on the pillows as the pharaoh lovingly caressed his smooth blemish-free face.

The kiss…though unexpected was truly breathtaking. The scene was almost perfect; moonlight rushing into the dark room highlighting Ryou's delicate features, Atemu deepening the kiss causing Ryou to close his eyes in loving content…everything seemed to just float in the air of romance…perfect…almost.

The pale boy didn't kiss back; he felt like he was betraying Bakura and Seth…he wanted a kiss…but not from the pharaoh, he had never felt any attraction to the spiky haired pharaoh, never, but here he was feeling all giddy inside because of a single kiss…Everything seemed so confusing for the white blond.

Their lips drew back; Ryou blushing immensely and still under the pharaoh. "Ryou…I love you," the pharaoh confessed, his breath hovering over Ryou's slightly parted lips.

"Atemu I-"

"Please…ever since I laid my eyes on you…you, your beautiful face…you had stolen my affection…my heart." He paused and cupped the boy's cheek, "I've always loved you…I love the way you smile…the way you blush…your voice, your hair, everything about you makes my breath hitch."

"I know that this seems so sudden but I can't hold it anymore…I was dead worried when you disappeared." Atemu said with his eyes locked with Ryou's.

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much" the teen underneath apologized guiltily, his voice as soft as ever.

"I would've given up my throne…just to find you." the king whispered to Ryou's ear, his breath tickling the pale boy's ear. "I prayed to Ra and all the other gods that night you vanished…that they would protect you and keep you safe…I'm so glad we found you."

"Please Atemu…I."

"I understand if you're confused…I won't rush you." he smiled and pulled back, sitting up straight.

"Thank you." despite his shock, the white blond smiled and sat up. Just then Mokuba knocked on the door saying that Ryou and Yugi's things had arrived. Again, for the second time that night, Ryou taught Atemu how to wear jeans and stuff; Atemu ended up wearing Yugi's blue long-sleeved pajamas.

Ryou left the pharaoh's quarters after a while, carrying his and Bakura's clothes in a purple bag and decided to check on Bakura who was in the room beside the pharaoh's. He knocked on the door and listened, waiting for a reply, when no reply came he quietly opened the door and was met by the sight of a semi-dark room. He entered, the door making an eerie creaking sound as it was pushed forwards, giving Ryou the chills as if he was a character in a horror movie.

Hesitantly, the pale boy entered the moonlit room finding it to be as big as Kaiba and Atemu's rooms. Just like the other two rooms it was air-conditioned and had a large four-poster bed with dark lilac curtains, a bedside table as always, a door that led to a bathroom, a T.V. set and something else that made it different from the other two rooms. There was a balcony and in it were two chairs and a small table providing a nice place to sit and think or to converse with a guest.

The pale teen's grip on the bag of clothes in his hands tightened as he sauntered towards the balcony, finding his Yami sitting on one of the chairs looking up at the beautiful full moon and it's glow. "Bakura?" Ryou spoke up, standing at the thief's left side.

The thief did not glance at the teen but simply gestured for Ryou to sit on the chair beside him. Ryou sat and there was silence between the two; you could practically hear the calming breeze blowing the leaves from the trees making them float in the air to be carried away by the wind. Bakura stretched out his hand and a leaf gently landed on his palm as if it was summoned to come.

The thief observed the leaf in his palm, letting it get carried away once again by the blowing breeze; Ryou watched all this intently, thinking that the thief was in deep thought.

"Bakura?" Ryou spoke up once again, hoping that the thief hadn't found out about his kiss from the pharaoh as a sign of betrayal.

"Ryou…Did you think I wouldn't find out?" the thief asked in monotone, refusing to look intently at the other teen.

"W-What do you mean?" stuttered the serene male.

Bakura turned his gaze from the flying leaves to the pale teen sitting beside him and spoke in all seriousness, "You…you're keeping something from me." He glared at Ryou who shrunk back in fear.

"Keeping what from you?" the teen questioned unsurely, his voice barely audible.

"I know you kissed the pharaoh…I could feel it." The thief said, his voice still low and menacing. "Through our link." He added.

"I…I didn't mean to…" Ryou looked down at the floor guiltily.

"I know, I don't have the right to keep you from kissing any other man…but know this Ryou." Bakura noted, "the pharaoh is not all that sweet and charming, you know what happened to Kuru Eruna don't you?" he reminded.

"I-I can't truly believe that…that Atemu did it."

"He may not have done it directly but then again the children of that village have never done him any wrong, haven't they?" the thief snarled, "Ryou, things are not always what they seem so please…I'm telling you to keep your distance from him."

"You may hate him but he's my friend…please…can't you both just settle your differences?" Ryou begged, near to tears and facing Bakura.

"I won't kill him, at least not here…only because I don't want to see you so distraught." He lifted Ryou's chin and wiped a tear forming at the edge of the pale teen's eye. "I will not be his friend…that is all I can promise you," he added.

Sadly, Ryou nodded; it was useless to argue with the thief king and by doing so he could make things worse for everyone. The thief stood up and sauntered to the room with Ryou trailing behind him. After teaching Bakura how to wear the clothes, Ryou headed to the bathroom to get changed as well while Bakura was in the bedroom getting undressed and slipping the clothes on.

Ryou came out of the bathroom wearing a white T-shirt and some blue jeans while Bakura was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of red jogging pants. The pale teen left his darker double and exited the room saying, "good night" as he closed the door and let darkness fill the room once more.

Once alone in his room, Ryou plopped onto his canopy bed with lavender curtains and looked around his assigned room; it was large and air-conditioned as usual with a T.V. set and a bathroom, it had a bedside lamp and the bed was comfortable yet…he had trouble sleeping that night. There was so much confusion; Atemu was in love with him but he doesn't feel the same way towards the pharaoh, he liked both Seth and Bakura. Seth doesn't seem to feel the same way about him unlike Bakura who expresses himself more…what was he going to do?

And there was that thing about Bakura and Atemu's rivalry…was he perhaps a mere trophy? Or were they really in love with him? Even so…then pale teen could end up as a reason for the two kings' constant bickering…who knows, those two might end up killing each other over him of all people! The two already hated each other's guts even before Ryou had arrived in Egypt…Now, Ryou really wished that Mahado had come along; he really needed someone to talk to about all this.

"I can't believe someone got to steal another kiss from me."

Necro: There! I finally got the pharaoh to confess his undying love for our adorable Ryou. Read on and find out what happens at the mall! **REVIEW please! I'd really appreciate it! AND don't forget to check out my other fic, it's called **The Game.

**EMERGENCY QUESTION: **Ok people, this is the third time I've asked you for help and I apologize if this is such a bother but please, this is an emergency. If anyone has any detailed information about the priests and millennium items, how they were created, how the priests died, how Atemu and Bakura got sealed, what happened to Seth after everything, Seth's father or whatever information you have about their past lives, an explanation of how Mahado turned into a duel monster please send them to me…If I'm going to make the ending I need some material to work with…I'm thinking of making the ending have a connection to actual events that happened in the Ancient Egypt Arc or whatever it's called. PLEASE! **I can't start making the ending without that information! If anyone has the full story about the **Ancient Egypt Arc,** please send it!**


	13. The Mall

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I still don't own YuGiOh nor do I own Initial D both the anime and the video game and I don't own Kodak.

Necro: Vote for your favorite pairing! Seth/Ryou or Bakura/Ryou choose wisely! I won't be counting the amount of votes that the pairings will get instead I'm going to read your reasons for why you chose that pairing. **Don't** bash the opposing pairing coz I love them both…if you do I'll probably go to my sad place and never come out again…**Thank you everyone for the nice reviews…I can't remember how many people helped me with my last question but I thank each and everyone of you…gasp! I think my brain exploded while I read all that info! I don't understand everything but I got the answers to the questions I was asking…anyways, the ending of this fic is going to have a part or two from the actual **Egypt arc** but there'll be a lot of alterations ok…I'm not going to introduce all the priests or about **Zork something** coz not everyone knows a lot about the **Egypt arc** (I want this fic to work for everyone and it wont work too well if some readers don't even know some of the characters) I also don't think there'll be any Ka battles but I'll try to make that work…I'm not promising anything and I hope you guys understand.**

Note: Here, the outfit that Atemu's going to wear to the mall is the exact same outfit Yugi/Yami wore to a date with Tea in the series, if you're familiar with that one episode wherein Yugi got Yami to go on a date with Tea you'll know what Yami's outfit looked like at that time but if you weren't able to watch that particular episode then just imagine ok. I still described the outfit here in this fic.

Yugi's gang along with Malik and Mokuba will be wearing the exact same outfits they wore during Battle city ok. I decided to make them wear those outfits so that the readers won't have such a hard time remembering what Yugi's friends are wearing. Only Bakura, Ryou and Seth won't be wearing outfits that came from the series.

There's a seating arrangement in a part of this fic where they went to the movies and I gave a description of their sitting arrangements. Just to clarify the description I gave and make sure you guys aren't confused here's the pattern:

Malik-Atemu-Ryou-Bakura-Mokuba-Seth 

The rest of the gang was sitting in the row in front of them ok.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 12 The Mall

It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning, Ryou noted once he was out of bed and was on his way downstairs to the kitchen. He raised his arms and stretched, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn as he entered the kitchen where his Egyptian friends were at along with Mokuba.

BOOM!

There was a loud exploding sound once Ryou had set foot in the room. His eyes widened in shock at the noise that came from a toaster…well…something that looked like a toaster but was now mutilated…poor toaster.

"What happened?" Ryou exclaimed, looking around the inhabitants of the room. Everyone was still in their pajamas; Seth was sitting on a chair, eating cereal, Mokuba was sitting beside his brother, eating breakfast as well while Atemu and Bakura were constantly at each other's throats, yelling and insulting each other.

Mokuba noticed Ryou standing by the doorway watching everyone and greeted the teen, "Good morning Ryou, have some breakfast." He beckoned.

"Mokuba what happened to the toaster?" Ryou asked, sauntering towards the two kings to stop them from ripping each other's heads off.

"Well…they destroyed it of course!" Mokuba said happily, pointing at Atemu and Bakura.

"Why?"

"You know that messed up hair a person gets when he wakes up from sleeping?" Mokuba started.

"Yes." Ryou nodded

"Well…Bakura came down here with his hair sticking out in all sorts of directions and Atemu made fun off him. Bakura got angry and retorted by teasing Atemu whose hair was all puffy instead of the usual spikes." The black haired boy paused as Ryou imagined the two's goofy hair; Atemu with furry looking hair that looked like a dead plant and Bakura with hair that looked like he was struck by lightning.

"Anyways they were insulting each other and stuff but then they got a little rough and started fighting…Bakura got hold of the toaster and threw it at Atemu." Explained the young Kaiba.

The pale teen sighed and sauntered towards the two Egyptians, "You two, please stop fighting…you're going to end up destroying the kitchen."

"He started it." Bakura pointed accusingly at the pharaoh.

"Enough, let's just eat breakfast please?" the serene boy asked.

And eat their breakfast they did; they all ate cereal and in a few minutes ended up throwing Froot Loops at each other, getting the sugary stuff stuck in each other's hair. Seth had aided the pharaoh at throwing spoonfuls of cereal at Bakura because he was ordered to while Bakura got hold of the milk and squirted its contents all over the kitchen, getting milk all over everyone and even on the ceiling. Atemu kept on mistaking Ryou to be Bakura and kept on hitting the teen unknowingly while Mokuba hid under the table laughing his head off.

After the little 'Battle of Flying Cereal and Shooting Milk' they all desperately needed to take a shower. Mokuba taught his brother how to use the shower's heater and all about bath stuffs in the bathroom in Kaiba's room while Ryou was teaching Atemu the use of the shampoo in Atemu's room. Bakura had been standing outside the bathroom waiting for Ryou to finish.

Getting pissed at the constant waiting, Bakura barged into the bathroom and complained in his usual gruffness which then led to another battle…this time the 'Battle of the Flying Soap bars and Shooting Shampoos'

At last after the feud and constant exchange of insults, the pharaoh and Bakura actually got cleaned up; Atemu showered at the bathroom in his room while Bakura was in the bathroom of his assigned room. Ryou had showered in his own bathroom and after getting cleaned up emerged wearing a white long-sleeved turtleneck top, black jeans and white sneakers.

Atemu was wearing Yugi's clothes of course, which consisted of a black sleeveless shirt, black pants, black shoes and a couple of chains and buckles as accessories while Bakura was in Ryou's clothes which consisted of a pair of black pants, black camping boots that Ryou didn't even know he had and a plain white t-shirt and on top of it was a black denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up a bit leaving his lower arms bare. Seth was wearing a pair of blue denim pants, white sneakers, a blue button down shirt surprisingly not a trench coat like usual and a blue cap with a KaibaCorp logo on the front; the brunette was never really used to taking his headdress off back at Egypt and was always used to wearing something on his head.

They left for the mall around 11 o'clock in the morning in Kaiba's limo so that they could meet up with the rest of the gang. Upon arriving they were immediately greeted outside by Tea who was accompanied by the rest of the gang, waving her hand at them through the crowd of noisy urban shoppers. Ryou and the others sauntered towards their friend's side and greeted each other good morning.

"Ryou I hope you don't mind me tagging along with you guys." Malik spoke up, dressed in his usual purple vest and cargo pants. "Isis and Rishid wanted me to be around my age group and have fun with you guys."

"It's quite fine with me Malik. Why didn't they come along?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah, I was hoping that your sister would come along so that I wouldn't be the only girl in our group" Tea pouted.

"Too bad Tea. Anyways, Shadi made one of his appearances last night at our hotel, he needed to have a long discussion about things about the prophecy with my sis." The Egyptian sighed, "He along with Isis and Rishid are making some plans as to how we can fulfill the prophecy and make sure that there wont be any more complications."

"You should tell us more about the prophecy later." Ryou said in his usual kind manner.

"Sorry but that's not possible, you guys aren't allowed to know a thing about what you're supposed to do…that knowledge could change the outcome." Malik explained, walking towards the entrance.

Nodding in understanding, the gang after noticing their Egyptian friends' outfits entered the building and headed to Kodak to have a group picture taken as a remembrance of that unforgettable day wherein Kaiba was NOT in a trench coat for once.

At the eighth floor in a hotel somewhere in Domino was Isis sitting on a chair with Rishid standing behind her, talking to Shadi who was standing in front of Isis across the table.

"So you are saying that they must go back to Egypt immediately?" the female Egyptian inquired.

"Yes, in order for the destined duel to take place they must return to Egypt at once." The mysterious turban-wearing Egyptian answered. "Getting the pharaoh involved in this feud has made things more complicated. If they stay here too long they could permanently damage the strands that holds together the shadow realm…"

"Oh my."

"Ryou, Bakura, Yugi and Kaiba…perhaps even Malik who is connected to Seth's millennium rod…if the prophecy isn't fulfilled soon their existence could be erased from the face of history…" Shadi spoke; at this Isis and Rishid became silent…

"What do you mean 'erased from the face of history'?" Rishid spoke up with worry.

"And why is Malik involved?" Isis asked worriedly.

"You're brother is connected to Seth." The Egyptian paused, "because he owns the millennium rod not Kaiba who was supposed to be the rightful owner since he is Seth's reincarnation just like Yugi is the pharaoh's" Shadi explained, pointing out that Malik who at first didn't seem to be such a crucial key was actually a very important aspect.

"Oh no…my brother…"

"Master Malik…"

Back at the mall the gang was already in their seats in the theater, carrying popcorn, sodas and hotdogs in their arms; they had decided to watch a movie while waiting for their pictures at Kodak to be developed. Atemu was sitting at Ryou's left while Bakura was sitting at Ryou's right, Malik sat beside the pharaoh, Mokuba was sitting beside Bakura and Seth was at Mokuba's right. The rest of the gang was sitting in a row in front of them.

They were all watching an action-packed movie and were really getting into it especially the pharaoh who was gawking in astonishment at the special effects. Out of curiosity the pharaoh secretly made a plan to discover the secret of the 'Giant window of Pictures', deciding to have a little adventure. Quietly, he crept past Malik, who was sleeping in the seat beside him completely ignoring the movie and left the theater.

After the movie…

"What do you mean he's NOT in the theater?" Ryou asked with horror; panicking when he found out that the pharaoh was nowhere to be seen. After the movie everyone had exited the theater and noticed that the pharaoh was missing, thinking that Atemu was still in the theater, Tristan and Joey went back to look for him but came out empty-handed.

"We have to look for the pharaoh immediately!" Malik said.

"He can't be far…we just have to look for him." Ryou tried to compose himself, "Seth, Mokuba, Joey and I will go this way and Malik, Tea, Tristan and Bakura can go that way." He said, pointing to the left and right.

And so the gang split into two groups; Ryou and the others searched the west side of the mall and Malik's groups searched in the east. After several minutes of intense searching Ryou's group decided to have a little break.

"Where-could-he-possibly-be?" Joey panted. They had been running around all over the place, asking people if they'd seen a spiky tri color haired teen dressed in black.

"Oh…this is all my fault." The pale teen said sadly, "If only I had kept a closer watch on the pharaoh."

"Maybe Customer Service can help." Mokuba suggested, gesturing towards the Customer Service booth at the corner.

"Yeah, We could report to them about a missing teen." The blond spoke up, "though it's kinda weird to report a teen lost in the mall."

"Ok then, I'll go to Customer Service and ask for their help." Said the black haired boy.

"Hey! I'm coming with ya' Mokuba!" with that said Joey trailed behind Mokuba leaving Seth and Ryou alone.

"I'm so sorry Seth…this is all my fault." Ryou sobbed, sadly looking down the floor.

"This was not your fault, it was mine." The brunette spoke up, eyeing the pale teen, "The pharaoh is supposed to be my responsibility and I failed."

"No, this was my fault not yours…after all this is my world…I should've-" the priest cut the pale teen off.

"Even if this is your world I'm still supposed to protect and serve the pharaoh." Seth insisted to the teen, cupping the teen's chin and lifting it upwards to look at Ryou's face. "Besides…if I hadn't allowed myself to have let the pharaoh leave the palace to search for you in the first place things would've been different and he'd never have had to get sent here along with me and that thief."

"But-"

"Please Ryou…don't take the blame." The priest tried to sooth Ryou down so that Ryou could stop panicking.

"I'm pathetic aren't I?" the white blond said sadly, "I'm so, so pathetic." He said, once again looking down at the floor in fake interest.

"Don't say that." Said the priest, looking intently at the boy through the corner of his hat, "You are not pathetic Ryou…you're not." he cupped the other teen's cheek in his right hand and looked at the boy's teary eyes.

So pure…so innocent…so fragile, Cold-hearted priest or not Seth couldn't bring himself to watch the teen so sad. As Seth continued to gaze at Ryou's innocent brown orbs, Ryou could feel his face growing hot…he could feel color rising up to his cheeks and making him blush.

Seth…so warm and cozy…his touch on the boy's cheek just felt so…so…right. The priest had the strong urge to just kiss the fragile teen in front of him…to just kiss him and hold the teen in his arms…to protect him from everything…to love him…

"Come now, let's ask more people if they've seen the pharaoh." The priest said, releasing his hold on the boy's cheek. No…now was not the time to confess what he felt for Ryou, they had to look for the pharaoh…but still…whether it was because of the call of duty or he was just too hesitant to speak and confess to his love, he just couldn't bring himself to say that he loved Ryou…not now…not yet but…soon…

The pale teen smiled at the taller teen and began to feel better, just as he was about to turn to walk he bumped into someone who was carrying what seemed to be a brand new duel disk that was still inside its box.

The guy dropped the box and cursed out loud; "Look at what you made me do!" he scowled. The stranger was a dangerous looking individual with his black bandana and leather jacket.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry-" Ryou apologized but was interrupted by the stranger.

"Sorry? That's it? That's all you can say?" the guy flared, "You just damaged my brand new duel disk! These things don't come very cheap you know!"

"I-I really am sorry and I apologize." The pale teen said fearfully, "I really didn't mean to…it was an accident."

"Well you still have to pay-" the man smirked maliciously, "so pay up."

Remembering that he had left his wallet along with his schoolbag back at Egypt Ryou once again apologized, "I'm sorry but I don't have any money."

"Well since you don't have any cash with you I suppose I can think of another way for you to pay." The leather clad stranger's smirk widened. Suddenly and without warning he placed his arm around Ryou's waist and pulled the pale teen close, "Why don't you date me for the day and we'll call it even."

"Please…don't-"

"C'mon…just a little date with me." The brute insisted, "I mean it's not like you've got anyone."

"Get your hands off of him." The forgotten priest spoke up, his hands in his pockets and his voice low and menacing, sending a momentary chill through the stranger's spine.

"No…this guy made me drop my duel disk so he has to pay for it." The stranger argued, "Who do you think you are anyway? His boyfriend?" the thug taunted, smirking.

The stranger would have been cowering in fear if he had seen the priest's intense glare that was covered with the blue KaibaCorp hat that Seth was wearing. Seth walked up to the man and stood in front of him then he took out his left hand from his pocket and placed it around Ryou's waist, pulling the boy close and freeing Ryou from the stranger's grasp.

"Yes, he IS my boyfriend so leave him alone." Seth said these words menacingly as if venom was trailing behind every single word.

The man backed away a bit then composed himself while Ryou was blushing like mad in the priest's hold. The white blond teen had expected Seth to rescue him but…not like this…Not that he was complaining! It just felt…awkward…but nice.

"Your boyfriend huh? Hmp, well you still have to pay up." the man glared at Ryou then to Seth, "Ok then…you pay up." he looked at Seth.

"You were about to harass my boyfriend and now you want me to pay you? No." the brunette retorted angrily, his patience growing thin.

"If you don't have any money I'm cool with that, just let me date your boyfriend." The thug stood prominently in front of Seth and continued, "You can come along if you like." He smirked maliciously.

Seth did not reply but simply glared at the man though the guy couldn't see his eyes. When the stranger finally noticed Seth glaring at him he scowled.

"Would you take that stupid hat off!" the leather-clad thug scowled, abruptly taking off the blue KaibaCorp hat on Seth's head, probably annoyed with it. The stranger's eyes grew wide at the sight before him, he recognized that brown hair and those blue eyes…that face…that dangerous expression …the CEO of KaibaCorp; Seto Kaiba was the guy he had picked a fight with.

"Y-you're S-Seto Kaiba!" he stuttered, backing away from the brunette.

"Good that you know." now it was Seth's turn to smirk, "How dare you try to harass not only my boyfriend-" at this, Seth pulled Ryou closer making the white blond teen blush harder, "but you also disrespected me."

"I-I…that is to say…"

"Since you've got a duel disk I guess it's safe to say that you're a duelist." Seth's face grew serious, "I could get you banned from Kaiba Land, mark you illegitimate to join any tournament to be hosted by KaibaCorp and make sure that you'd be known as the most disgraceful duelist alive for picking on MY boyfriend!" the brunette snarled, his voice hovering over the man's whimpering as he glared daggers at the stranger making the guy shrink back.

"I'm s-sorry! I'm so sorry!" the thug repeatedly bowed his head and apologized, quickly picking up his duel disk from the floor and running away like the coward that he really was.

Once the man was out of sight, Ryou finally let out a breath that he was holding. "Thanks Seth." The pale teen smiled at his 'boyfriend'.

"It was my pleasure." The priest replied, his arm still around the white blond's waist.

"Um, Seth…you can let go of me now." Ryou blushed, reminding the priest that it was over. Reluctantly though Seth didn't show it, the priest finally drew back his hand. "S-Seth…w-were you a-aware of what you were saying to that guy?" the pale teen shyly asked.

"You mean those things about KaibaCorp? Yes I was well aware of it all, Mokuba had explained to me everything about Kaiba's life and his work at breakfast this morning." The priest explained.

"I-I meant…" Ryou looked down, "I was talking about the 'boyfriend' thing…do you know what the term 'boyfriend' means in this century?" he asked, still looking down at the floor.

"Yes," at this Ryou immediately looked up to be met by a pair of clear blue eyes staring back at him, "It means 'lover' right?" the brunette asked playfully with a smirk despite his usual coldness.

"U-um…yeah it does." The once pale teen replied, flushed and fidgeting uncomfortably. The two kept on staring into each other's eyes, shutting out the outside world…everything was like a dream and they could've sworn they could drown in each other's eyes…things were just so clear this way…

And then it just had to end…

Kaiba's cell phone that Ryou was in charge of rang…

"_Hello?"_ the pale teen answered the call that came from Tea.

"_Ryou we found Atemu."_ At this Ryou brightened up, _"We're at the arcade, come meet us here and hurry, I'm running out of tokens for the pharaoh and Bakura!"_ Tea immediately hung up.

"They found the pharaoh!" the teen exclaimed excitedly, pocketing the cell phone.

"It's about time!" came Joey's voice. Mokuba and Joey had come back since they couldn't report to Customer Service.

"We were about to report to Customer Service but then we wondered which name we should use; Atemu or Yugi." Mokuba explained.

"Well Tea and the others already found Atemu so there's no need for that." Smiled the pale teen, "They're at the arcade."

"Agh! We should've known!" Joey smacked his forehead, "That's like the most obvious place for the 'King of Games' to go to."

Ryou's search party rushed to the arcade and found Atemu along with the others playing video games. "Ryou! Finally! I'm so glad you're here." Tea immediately sauntered to Ryou's side, "Those two have been playing non-stop and used up all my loose change for tokens!" she pointed at Bakura and Atemu who were playing an 'Initial D' car racing game.

The pale teen merely giggled and said, "Don't worry I'll pay you back Tea."

Just then Atemu and Bakura's game ended, "How'd you guys find Atemu?" Ryou asked. "Well we had some trouble with Bakura and err…decided to bring him here to keep him occupied." Malik answered; Bakura was on a thieving spree and bringing him to the arcade was the only idea they could think of to keep the tomb robber's hands off stuff. Coincidentally around 5 o'clock, they found Atemu at the arcade, gawking at different games.

After Atemu apologized for his disappearance the group remembered to fetch their photos from Kodak so they rushed to the ground floor to claim the photos. Tristan passed to everyone a wallet-sized copy of his or her group picture; Atemu thought that his soul was captured; Bakura laughed at this and taunted the said pharaoh thus causing another conflict between the two of them.

While the two kings were bickering like children with each other, Malik's cell phone rang. _"Hello? What's up sis?"_

"'_Malik, I want you to listen to me and listen carefully." _Isis spoke up in a serious tone as if their lives were on the line; Isis, Rishid and Shadi were in a taxi and on their way to Ryou's school.

Malik listened to his sister intently and made a few comments then suddenly, _"What do you mean 'erased from the face of history' huh?" _the blond haired Egyptian exclaimed loudly, quickly catching the gang's attention. _"That's impossible!"_ Malik insisted then caught sight of his copy of their gang's group photo that he was holding in one hand.

The photo was normal and wallet-sized with a black background. Everyone in the picture was in a pose…but then again…

Completely ignoring his sister on the other line, Malik hesitantly asked his friends a peculiar question, "Um…guys…is it just me or is there something wrong with my copy of our photo?" he asked, showing everyone his copy…they all looked at Malik's copy and then looked at theirs…Something was wrong…Oh so very wrong indeed…

"Where's Malik, Seth, Atemu, Bakura and Ryou's faces?" Joey asked out loud.

They were all in a state of panic though they tried to keep themselves composed…what happened to their friends' images on the photo? Quickly realizing that Isis was still on the phone, Malik immediately resumed talking with his sister.

After several yes, no and all right's, Malik ended the call saying, "Guys…we've got to get to your school's rooftop…now!"

Necro: OK that's done, I sort of had trouble with this chapter but it came out all right…fortunately. Please submit reviews for this fic pretty please! I would love to hear from you guys.

Note: Ok now if you guys are wondering why Malik's image also didn't show up in the photo just like Bakura, Seth, Atemu and Ryou's it's because he's somewhat involved in the prophecy. He isn't like Tea and the others who aren't really that important for the prophecy. Malik is connected to the prophecy because he owns the millennium rod in the present that's why…besides I have something in mind for him.

Must have more reviews! Must have more…my precious! 

**Please read and review my other fic too…pretty please! It's titled 'The Game'**

**It's a fic with a SetoXRyou pairing but please try and read it.**

**Want to see Kaiba getting into a fistfight or Ryou getting invited to a yacht party hosted by Kaiba? Want to see Mokuba as a matchmaker? If you do then read THE GAME!**


	14. Back to Egypt

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh so please…stop rubbing it in!

Necro: Agh! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I KNEW IT! You guys really do want Ryou and Bakura to get together don't you? I'll have to rethink everything now…Grrrr, don't worry, I'm not agitated with you guys it's just that I was hoping that at least more than 3 people would vote for a Seth/Ryou ending but it turns out that only one approves with this pairing. **"This fic was supposed to be a Seth/Ryou fic" **says the guy who posts them for me and I knew right from the beginning that if I'd introduce Bakura into the story most reviewers were going to want a RXB fic instead of the what seemed to be obvious SXR type. You guys have read the summary haven't you? Guess I'll have to rethink the ending to make you guys happy but it'll take me longer to update now. **You guys have given me a challenge to make everyone happy and I ACCEPT. **Necropolis demon** NEVER backs away from a challenge…right? **/cricket sounds/

Note: I just want to remind everyone that the outfits that Ryou, Bakura and Malik wore in the last chapter didn't change, only Seth and Atemu. Don't forget, Seth and Atemu's real bodies were left in the Shadow realm so when they travel back to Egypt through the Shadow realm Seth and Atemu automatically goes back to their original Egyptian bodies.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 13 Back to Egypt

The gang raced to their school and up the rooftop as if they were chased by a pack of wolves. Frantically, they scrambled up the flight of stairs that led to the roof, ignoring the 'no entry' signs that Kaiba had set up to keep people away and found themselves greeted by the now familiar sight of Kaiba and Ryou's Blue-Eyes White dragon and Dark Necrofear as well as the silhouettes of their Egyptian allies.

"Isis! We're here." The Egyptian blond said upon arriving, quickly sauntering towards his sister's side.

"Good, now we only have a few minutes to give you a brief explanation of what you're supposed to do when you get back to Egypt." Isis explained, gesturing towards the setting sun then handing her brother a yellow backpack.

"W-what's this for?" the younger Ishtal inquired, opening his bag and finding several clothes and necessities already packed for him. While the two Ishtals were talking, Shadi had led the time-travelers towards the two duel monsters that still stood prominently to get them away from the two conversing Ishtals.

"It's time for Ryou and the rest of them to go back to Egypt, they've stayed here for too long causing the Shadow realm to start collapsing." The female Egyptian explained, "Malik you're going with them to Egypt"

"What? Why?"

"You're a crucial part of this whole thing Malik…" for a second Isis' expression turned from seriousness to worry, "If you don't help Ryou fulfill the prophecy…your existences will be erased." Isis said, looking intently at the time-travelers and her brother.

"No way."

"Believe us Master Malik…you will disappear from this world." Rishid said.

"I guess what you're saying is true…considering the fact that we don't show up in film." Malik drew out his copy of their group picture and showed it to his sister.

"Oh Malik…it's starting." Isis covered her mouth to suppress a gasp and looked sadly at her younger sibling. "Malik…you must do your part well, don't forget…" she once again turned serious, "you must never let them know what it is they are suppose to fulfill, they must do it themselves otherwise…all will be lost. You may help them on their way but you must never tell them the conclusion of it all."

"I understand…I will guide them step by step throughout their roles but I will not speak a word of their ultimate goal which is to have Seth and Bakura duel each other." Malik spoke gravely.

After a quick pat on the shoulder from Rishid and a smile from Isis, they sauntered towards Shadi's side where Shadi was already explaining things to Ryou's group; he explained to them that they had to go back to Egypt otherwise all would be lost.

"So Malik, Shadi told us that you're coming with us?" Atemu questioned, the blond Egyptian nodded.

"I took the liberty of getting your things packed up and brought here from the Kaiba mansion." Isis spoke to Ryou, handing Ryou his purple backpack.

"Thank you very much." Ryou bowed and gave the worried female a reassuring smile.

"I didn't pack Kaiba and Yugi's things since their bodies aren't allowed to go through the shadow realm as you know. Ryou…" she placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder and spoke to him, "please…all of you be careful, take good care of each other ok."

"Don't worry, we'll look out for each other…thank you for everything you've done to help us, we are forever grateful." Ryou gave Isis and everyone a smile then glanced towards his time-traveling companions.

"Thank you very much for your kindness." The pharaoh as well as the other ancient Egyptians thanked.

"Ryou please take good care of my brother…."

"Of course." With a smile and a final thank you, they said their goodbyes; Tea was near to tears, Joey and Tristan were hugging the life out of Ryou and the others, Isis and Rishid gave Malik a hug and some words of caution and Mokuba bid farewell to Ryou's group.

The sun was finally out of sight, which gave way for the moon to shine its glow, the two images of the duel monsters were clearer than ever. Shadi beckoned for Ryou's group to stand between the two towering monsters with a last warning for them, "Ryou, Malik…the both of you must not overstay your welcome there, don't forget you belong in this world…if you stay there for too long you will cause yet another problem."

"We understand." Malik nodded.

"Now then, I will open the Shadow realm for you; the three of you will go through it-" the mysterious Egyptian gestured towards Bakura, Ryou and Malik, "-and the both of you will lose consciousness signaling that you're minds have left Kaiba and Yugi's bodies to go back to your original bodies which are still both in the Shadow realm as you know."

Everyone nodded in understanding and with that Ryou, Bakura and Malik stepped in between the two towering duel monsters; Ryou and Malik were clutching at their backpacks, Bakura was taking one last look at the world he was about to leave while Atemu and Seth were watching the three of them also preparing themselves for the coming dizziness.

Without wasting another precious second Shadi opened the Shadow realm and sent the three teens back to Egypt as Atemu and Seth fell unconscious signaling that their minds have indeed left Yugi and Kaiba's bodies to return to their original bodies that were left in the Shadow realm.

Again the time-travelers could feel themselves trapped in an endless abyss where darkness was all they could see. Seth and Atemu's souls were able to return to their respective bodies so when Seth opened his eyes and moved around a bit he found himself back in his robes and headdress with his millennium rod tucked underneath his garments. The pharaoh was back in his real body when he woke up and found himself floating in darkness and feeling the cloth of the cloak he wore before when he had attempted to escape from the palace.

"Is everyone here?" came Ryou's distant yell, "Malik?"

"So this is how you guys traveled. It's not exactly first class." Malik replied.

"Seth, have you and the pharaoh returned to your bodies?"

"Yes, we're back in our bodies Ryou!" Atemu yelled back.

"Bakura?" the pale teen searched for his other half.

"I'm over here, I can see that same light we saw before!" the tomb robber shouted out, "We're going to reach out for it like before right?"

"Right." And with that, Ryou and everyone else reached out towards the source of luminance and started spinning and spinning with everything around them disappearing.

The first one to wake up from the five of them was Atemu who was first to feel the effects of the blazing sun, he opened his eyes and found himself flat on his back, looking up at the sun. He quickly closed his eyes shut at the sudden brightness and felt around, noticing that he was stretched out on the desert sand. Getting up and trying to get rid of the sand in his hair, the disguised pharaoh looked around, finding his companions and nothing else but seas of sand.

One by one the others began to rise slowly, quickly averting their gaze from the bright radiant sun above, Malik was the first one to speak…or should I say spit out sand, "Pff! Pfft! Yuck! I've got sand in my mouth!"

"Is everyone ok?" Ryou asked, dusting off the sand in his hair.

"We're fine." Atemu responded, getting up from the sand and looking around to find nothing but miles of sand.

Seth got up and dusted the sand of his robes then swiftly scanned the area, "It seems that we've landed ourselves in the desert miles away from the city."

"At least me and Ryou still have our backpacks." Malik pointed out the bright side, "Hey, hold on…where's Bakura?" he asked, noticing that the tomb robber was nowhere to be seen.

"There he is!" Ryou pointed out to the direction where an unconscious figure with white blond hair was. The group quickly sauntered towards Bakura's side as Bakura was waking up.

The thief woke up and found his companions who were looking down at him without saying a single word; they all seemed to be in a shock. Bakura sat up and groaned, placing a hand on his face…and the he noticed…why was his skin still so soft and flawless?

"Oh Ra! I still look like Ryou!" he shouted, looking at his pale arms and touching his face in search of his old scar. "Why do I still look like Ryou? I thought I'd go back to what I used to look like if we get back to this world!" he demanded an explanation as he stood up and dusted off the sand on his modern clothes.

"I don't know, I guess the Shadow realm is more complicated than I thought." Malik responded, tidying up his purple vest. "But we've got better things to worry about, like how are we going to get to civilization?"

"So we're in the middle of the desert with no way to identify which way leads to the nearest town …great." Atemu sighed, squinting his eyes because of the sun's rays.

"We better start looking for a nearby town or we'll die of thirst just standing here." The pale teen spoke, "C'mon, me and Bakura are highly sensitive to this heat with our sensitive skins." He added.

"Which way do we head to?" the blond Egyptian asked, searching for anything useful in his bag, "Looks like Isis didn't pack us a compass for an emergency like this." He sighed, not being able to find a compass.

"Tomb robber, you're used to traveling through the desert, where do you think we should head to?" the high priest asked the thief who was already scouting out the unfamiliar territory.

"I think I've been through this area before, this is the desert that surrounds your city pharaoh so we should head for that direction, past that towering rock and beyond that would be a pair of towering cliffs that would provide us shade and then beyond the cliffs would be the city." Said Bakura, pointing out a tall towering rock that was slightly visible from a distance due to its size. The rock looked more like a slanted pillar from an old temple that provided shade at the bottom.

"What makes you think that?" Atemu asked, a little doubtful of the thief's skills.

"Well, first of all, I recognize that rock…if memory serves me that rock was where I once hid from the heat of the sun while traveling through this area to get away from the city." He paused and squinted his eyes a little more, "besides, it's the nearest source of shade around, if that area is what I think it is then I guess I know the direction to the city from that point."

"We can rest there for a while then continue forward and when we arrive at the bottom of the twin cliffs I told you about, we can take another rest then we head for the city." The thief king explained their plan.

The five of them made their way towards the towering rock; Ryou was having a hard time keeping up because of his backpack so Seth carried it for him. Bakura was leading the way with Atemu and Malik trailing behind him while Seth and Ryou were close behind, as they got closer and closer to their goal, the effects of the hot blazing sun was taking its toll on them.

The leading thief still kept his composed façade, not seeming to be affected by the heat though the truth was it was harder for him with his now sensitive skin, Atemu was visibly tired and was getting slower and slower with each step but he managed to continue since he didn't want Bakura to take the pleasure of seeing him powerless and weak. Seth looked unaffected but he did take his heavy headdress off so he cold focus on the weight of Ryou's backpack, Ryou was doing better than before and was able to catch up with the group even though his skin was really burning.

Malik was carrying his own backpack and kept on whining about the heat, when they finally got over a small hill of sand that momentarily blocked off the view of the rock, Malik immediately ran towards the rock in search of some shade since he was really tired. He ran towards their goal and didn't notice that someone was already there. The upright rock that they had seen from a distance was actually a pillar and there were other smaller and larger pillars surrounding it. Finally sand and heat were replaced by rock and shade.

Bakura looked ahead of him and smirked, the rock was fortunately what he thought it was, a large pillar from the ruins of an old temple that used to be where people paid tribute to a certain god; he knew that a little past that temple was a downward path that would lead them between two towering cliffs and ahead of that would be the city, finally if they could get past the ruins of the temple and the twin cliffs they'd be able to reach the city. The sound of a snorting horse caught the thief's attention and he swiftly chased after Malik. The others trailing behind Bakura followed as well when they heard a yell from Malik.

"Malik!" they all yelled out and upon reaching Malik's side, noticed what the fuss was about. Standing a few feet in front of the five of them was a man in a long black tattered cloak whose face was hidden behind a black piece of black cloth that covered his mouth, serving as a mask for the man, the stranger was on a black horse that looked as ruthless as he was.

"Well what do we have here?" The stranger sneered, his voice sounding deep and dangerous as his eyes scanned Ryou's group. "Two from a distant land?" he mused, referring to Ryou and Bakura upon noticing their pale skin and hair.

He approached the five teens and stopped three feet away from them, "And let's see…you two seem to have fair skin." He looked intently at Seth and Atemu; only those who had high positions in Egypt or those who weren't from Egypt had such fair skin. "And you must be of this land but…you seem to be dressed differently." He now averted his gaze from the priest and the pharaoh to Malik who was after all tanned like a normal Egyptian but was dressed in modern clothes like Bakura and Ryou were.

Bakura had a bad feeling about the man who was watching them like a predator, "Who are you?" the thief king asked, glaring at the man.

The man slightly pulled back the cloth that covered his mouth, showing them his smirk, "You don't know me? Ha!" at this, the man started to cackle, erasing all doubt that he was not an ally. His smirk widened and he whistled, seconds later ten to fifteen men in cloaks and on horses appeared from behind the temple pillars, all of them surrounding the five teens and the stranger who summoned them in a circle.

Necro: Another chapter finished at long last! Don't forget to review my fics everyone! Read and review **The Game** and this fic ok. Try and guess this bandit's role and tell me in a review.

Note: I saw a few pictures of Atemu and Seth in the Internet and they were a bit tanned much like normal Egyptians but in the series I kind of saw them with fair skins…I think it was that episode before Battle City started wherein Isis showed Kaiba some stuff about the past (If memory serves, I think it was when Kaiba first got a glimpse of the stone tablet that had stuff about the 'nameless pharaoh' or something.) I chose for them to have fair skins since I read something about some Egyptian monarchs having nice skins because of their high positions and the luxuries they've been so accustomed to.

**HEART-TO-HEART QUESTION: **To everyone who has read this fic from beginning till this chapter…I just want to ask; is this fic **predictable**? I mean is it easy to know what scene comes next? I know that some scenes of this fic are kind of common **(all stories amateur or professional always have some sort of old and common scene in them that are kind of cliché)** but I do try my best to put some unexpected twists like the whole 'Seth using the millennium rod on a cat to find Ryou' thing… Please reply…but don't be too harsh ok…I'm not good with dealing with destructive criticism since I've technically never received one. (Most of the reviews I get are short/long positive words of praise and some creative criticism that helps me correct mistakes.)


	15. Captured by a Fraud

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh, understood?

Necro: Hi everyone! Hope this chapter's ok with you guys. Agh! Like…oh my Ra! Someone ALMOST completely guessed the bandit's role from last chapter's role…congratulations to **XO'MagicMoon'OX** who got the Bakura fraud thing right /everyone claps/ but this fraud just rules over his lackeys he was assigned to lead that's all, not exactly the whole thief world…besides, there's someone else behind this fraud who is actually…nah I ain't telling you guys yet.

To **flamethrowerqueen, **let me clear things up. What I meant by 'Ryou showing the Egyptians how to dress and use the bath stuffs' I meant; Ryou was sort of making **gestures** and giving **verbal instructions** _before letting the guys undress_…with Atemu and Bakura, Ryou simply **used words** and stuff and with Seth he gave verbal instructions then turned around to give Seth some privacy. That part where **Atemu was being taught to use the shower**, it was all **verbal** as well…Atemu had **not taken his clothes off **yet coz he was listening to Ryou's directions and the reason Bakura was pissed off around that time was because the thief was getting tired waiting for Ryou to finish instructing the pharaoh. **There was no part wherein any of the three Egyptians were naked with Ryou, the closest thing to that was the **Ryou teaching Seth how to dress scene** wherein Ryou saw Seth topless then blushed bright crimson then Seth immediately pulled on a shirt upon seeing Ryou uncomfortable.**

Note: If I write Kura here I'm referring to the real Bakura ok since there's a fake Bakura here. There's also a little seduction scene that popped into my head and I hope you guys will like it. It's kind of short though…and not graphic.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 14 Captured by a Fraud

Surrounded by an exact count of fifteen cloak-wearing bandits on mean-looking horses, Ryou's group had no choice but to surrender, Seth tried to reach into his robes to get his millennium rod but the bandits drew closer and made sure that their weapons would get to the priest first before Seth could even touch whatever it was he was trying to pull out. Seth decided not to try anything lest they decide to search him for weapons and end up taking away his millennium item.

The priest had to be careful with his actions and make sure that those bandits wouldn't recognize Atemu as the pharaoh, it was better for the thieves to think that they were foreigners rather than have them used as hostages to get money or whatever they want from the palace and the other palace advisers and high priests.

"So…you guys don't know who I am huh?" the leader in the tattered black cloak, riding on a black horse three feet in front of them spoke, smirking evilly at them. "They don't know who I am! Can you believe that men?" he turned towards his group of bandits as they laughed loudly.

"So who exactly are you? You piece of camel dung!" the physically changed thief king snarled, getting even more irritated under the heat of the sun.

"Oh, a feisty one aren't we?" the leader taunted, getting off his horse and sauntering towards the five teens. He signaled for his companions to tie up the five teens and so they did.

Ryou's group had their hands tied behind their backs and were being held in place by a couple of thieves which is quite ironic since Bakura was actually the King of thieves. The leader approached Bakura and eyed the aggressive pale teen, smirking even wider.

"So you want to know exactly who I am." He sneered, cupping Bakura's chin with one hand that Bakura almost bit off. "My, you really are aggressive…I like aggressive." He licked his lips and grinned.

Ryou could feel Bakura's anger towards the stranger through their mind link and was getting a little concerned, he didn't want Bakura lashing out on the stranger and cause even more trouble than they were already in.

The leader stepped back a bit and stood prominently in front of the five time-travelers, crossing his arms and raising his chin a bit in a sign of power. "I have stricken fear into the hearts of many brave men." He started boastfully.

"I have escaped from the palace guards for more than a thousand times." The man continued, "I have lead bands of thieves with my years of experience." He added, "I have killed many soldiers for escape."

"Just get on with it!" Bakura scowled, getting annoyed at the leader's boastfulness.

"I am who they call-" at this, the stranger flicked off his black thief's cloak, revealing to everyone his true appearance. He had an ugly tanned bandit-like face with a brown beard and a tanned muscular body that was more bulgy and muscular than Bakura's and he had a white dyed wig on his head, he also had a thin but visible scar that ran across one eye. "-The legendary 'Thief King' Bakura!" he announced in a roaring voice while his men roared in cheers with him.

After the band of thieves' cheers died out Ryou's group was silent and then…all of a sudden they burst into a fit of chuckles especially the pharaoh.

"Ha! Ha! Oh my Ra! Ba-Bakura? You?" the pharaoh laughed out loud mockingly, pointing with his bound hands at 'Bakura', "Surely you jest! Look at that wig! It looks so fake and unnatural!" he said out loud, mocking the man's wig, which really looked phony.

"T-thief king Bakura! Did you guys hear that?" Malik sniggered, a tear forming at the edge of his eye, "He doesn't even LOOK like Bakura!" the disguised pharaoh added.

"Now, now, everyone it's rude to laugh at someone like this." Ryou spoke up, trying his best to suppress a giggle by covering his mouth but failed miserably. Seth merely shook his head no repeatedly, sighing exasperatedly at the stranger's stupidity while the real Bakura was muttering under his breath about stupid imposters.

"What are you laughing at? How dare you laugh instead of cower in the presence of the great thief king!" the 'Bakura' imposter snarled angrily.

"First of all, you are definitely not Bakura the thief king." Bakura started, glaring at the imposter, "he's way more handsome than you are." He added with a proud smirk.

The imposter fumed inwardly but tried to will down his anger, "I am Bakura! You five should be afraid. Do you know what position you're in? I can kill you right now if I wanted to!" he scowled, hands clutched into fists, "Who do you think YOU are?"

Bakura was about to expose his true self to everyone but remembered that they wouldn't believe him because of the way he now looked; the notorious Bakura had a scar over one eye and a slightly muscular body, his body right now was none of the above.

"What are your names?" the leader question, eyeing each and every one of them.

"Kura." Bakura responded, glaring daggers at the man who was pretending to be him, "this is Ryou, my twin brother." He lied, gesturing towards Ryou.

Catching on quickly, Seth introduced the pharaoh and himself, "I am Seth and this is my friend Atemu." He said, using their real names but not meaning for everyone to know their true identities, "that is Malik, our guide. We come from a distant land and have traveled to Egypt." He explained.

"I see, that explains your skins." The leader grinned, "Men, we will take these five as our prisoners!" he roared to his men who cheered along with him. "You two have the same names as the pharaoh and his high priest's." he said, looking intently at Atemu and Seth.

"Coincidence." The pharaoh said simply, "we are mere travelers, we do not even have much food and drink for our journey, as you can see we do not even have a horse or a camel to ride on, we are poor for we have no gold or anything." Atemu said, pointing out that they've been traveling through the desert with empty stomachs and aching feet.

The 'Bakura' imposter and his men took the five teens along in their ride to wherever they were heading for, letting them ride along as their prisoners with some of the men on horses; Bakura was planning to knock out the other man on the horse he was on but decided not to since he'd have trouble getting the others free as well and the other bandits would probably chase after them, he wouldn't be able to fight them all off without a weapon.

The high priest was also thinking the same thing Bakura was thinking of; it was fortunate for him that he took his headdress off before they bumped into the thieves, this way without his headdress the bandits didn't recognize him as the high priest since he was always seen wearing a headdress and not too many people even knew that the high priest Seth was a brunette.

The thieves arrived at their destination a little past sunset; their destination was the bottom of the two towering cliffs that stretched for a mile or two that Bakura was talking about earlier. So close…a little more past those cliffs and they'd be home free, they'd be able to get to the city and back to their lives. The pharaoh Atemu and high priest Seth had been away for three days in this time though only a day passed back at Ryou's world, the palace priests must've been worried sick about Seth and Atemu by now. The real Bakura was also aware that his three-day absence from Egypt would raise suspicion amongst the thieves back at the city; they're probably secretly looking for him.

The fake Bakura signaled to his men to make camp there at the space between the towering twin cliffs; the cliffs did provide shade and cover just as 'Kura' said it would but there was something else that the real Bakura hadn't told to Ryou and the others…somewhere there between the area of the two towering cliffs was a secret underground passage that was connected to the Tunnels of Blood which led to the city, this secret passage was actually the exit for Bakura's escape route back at his underground home under the tavern.

The band of thieves had set their campsite somewhere behind a couple of big rocks that were big enough to hide them from sight, all the tents looked the same with their earth-like colors and ragged flaps all except one; their leader's tent was the same color as the other tents but was slightly bigger with fewer damages on it.

That night, Atemu and Seth were reduced from pharaoh and high priest to common serving boys, left with the task of giving everyone their food with bound hands. Malik was assigned to stir the cauldron and cook the stew they were all eating while the two pale teens were left at a corner with bound hands and feet, waiting for whatever they'd be assigned to do.

While Atemu was handing one of the thieves a bowl of stew the thief suddenly decided to interrogate their captives, "So, you and your friends are from a distant land huh? What are you five doing here?" a skinny tanned man playing with a dagger asked.

"We're uh…" the pharaoh tried to come up with a convincing lie but couldn't.

"Ah! I know!" another thief spoke up, this man was slightly built body with no hair, "You guys must be bed slaves!" he exclaimed, slightly raising his voice and earning an excited cheer from the other bandits.

"I beg your par-mmphf!" Atemu started angrily but Malik quickly covered the pharaoh's mouth in fear that their true identities would be exposed.

"Pharaoh, calm down." The blond Egyptian whispered, still covering the pharaoh's mouth with his hand, "Do you WANT them to kill us?" he added softly.

Malik dropped the hand that was clamped on Atemu's mouth and smiled nervously at the bandits. Just then 'Bakura' entered the scene, "So, you five are foreign bed slaves, that explains your exotic beauty." He grinned maliciously then eyed their captives. Ryou and Kura were at a corner, sitting quietly with bound hands and feet incase they were to escape but actually they were talking to each other through the mind link; they've been thinking of an escape plan ever since they were left at that corner.

"Have they eaten yet?" 'Bakura' asked his men, referring to their captives, the bandits replied no and were told to give their prisoners some leftover food. Just when one of the bandits were about to hand Ryou and Kura some food 'Bakura' spoke up, "No wait, I want those two to eat with me in my tent." He ordered for the two pale teens to be sent to his tent, "Let's see how good these boys are in bed." He grinned maliciously.

The identical boys snapped away from their mental conversation and turned to look at the leader, the real Bakura was inwardly fuming at that last comment and was about to lash out at the imposter but Ryou calmed him down by mentally reminding the thief king about their plans for escape that would require patience at all times.

Seth who was quietly listening as well as serving food got a little worried for Ryou, he knew that with Bakura around that imposter would most likely end up with a broken neck or more considering the thief king's expertise in battle but still…add Ryou as a possible hostage against the pale thief then the thief king would be powerless against his imposter.

The two pale teens reluctantly followed the 'Bakura' fraud into his tent, thinking of various ways and opportunities for their escape, once they were inside Kura immediately scanned the insides of the tent for any weapon that he could possibly use. The tent was larger than the other tents with small hardly visible holes on its roof, at the center of the tent was a few blankets and cushions sprawled on the ground to serve as a comfortable bed, cushions of different sizes were placed in a form of a semi-circle on the laid blankets.

'Bakura' sat himself down on the center of the semi-circle of cushions as he straightened his white dyed wig and predatorily eyed the two arousing teens in their modern clothes. He looked at the two teens from top to bottom, admiring their exquisite beauty, first he eyed Ryou who looked a bit scared and was hiding behind his twin; the quiet white blond was the exact opposite of his double for he was soft and gentle, quiet and calm, fragile and delicate unlike Kura.

The imposter smirked and moved his gaze from the innocent teen to the more darker and aggressive one, the other one had a certain appeal with his icy glare and those seemingly innocent-looking eyes shinning with fury; Kura was a darker image of his twin, so very much alike yet so different and opposing…rough and aggressive, loud and furious, agile and built for stealth while looking as delicate as his brother.

"Come here." The imposter ordered, gesturing for the identical teens to approach him while he was shedding some of his clothing, the fraud took off the upper part of his garment, revealing his muscular build and removed the sash around his waist that held a dagger in its slot; he threw the pieces of clothing along with his sash at a corner beside the make-shift bed. The real thief king took note of the dagger and formulated a plan with it; the phony beckoned them to sit directly in front of him as he grinned at the pleasures to come.

Outside the leader's tent, the other bandits were handing their prisoners their leftover food and were trying to decide on who should go and bring their leader and the two other prisoners' their food. The thieves ordered Seth to take some food to their leader and the other two pale teens, Seth obliged since this was a good opportunity to check on Ryou. The priest carried with him two bowls of stew; the other one was freshly made for the leader and the other one contained leftovers for Ryou and Kura to share with as ordered by the other bandits.

The priest stood outside the tent and coughed to gain the attention of those inside, "Enter" 'Bakura' called out, allowing Seth to enter the slightly larger tent. He handed a bowl to the leader and settled the one with leftovers in front of his allies; he took a glance at Ryou and found that the teen was still safe…for now.

Just as the priest was about to exit the tent 'Bakura' called out, "You, 'Seth' right? Come here and join us." He said mockingly. Seth turned and sat beside Ryou as he and the other two waited for orders.

Seth just sat there quietly, waiting for the bandit to deal with them. The muscle-bound fraud looked at Seth in pretty much the same way he looked at the other two boys, noticing and memorizing every detail of the teen's body. Seth had fair skin like the skin of those with high positions in Egypt, his blue eyes held anger behind those blank and unfeeling orbs, his bangs covered his forehead and provided a little shadow over his cold eyes that made him look somewhat despicable…

Finally after checking out the three teens, 'Bakura' started his little game, "You! I want you to undress him from top to bottom…slowly." He slyly ordered Ryou, gesturing towards Seth who kept a blank expression.

The priest's facial expression turned from normal to looking slightly aghast when Ryou actually obeyed the command without a word, slowly and teasingly, the gentle teen slipped off the cloth on the upper part of the brunette's body, slowly sliding it off…seductively licking his lips and locking his half lidded doe eyes with Seth's icy blue ones. The real Bakura made no comment or signs of acknowledgement to what was happening beside him, he just kept himself calm as he glared at his bearded imposter.

'Bakura' enjoyed watching the serene teen undressing the brunette but he wanted a real show, a show where he'd just sit back and watch the three freely without ordering them to do anything, "Stop." He said bluntly, just as Ryou was about to proceed to take off Seth's lower garments, "Show me what you can really do." The fraud ordered, as the twin boys looked at each other for a moment then obliged.

Ryou pushed back Seth who landed on a few cushions, the seemingly innocent boy straddled the priest and began running his subtle fingers all over the brunette. While Ryou was 'seducing' the priest, Kura sauntered towards his imposter, his eyes dark and demonic as he leaned close to the man and began running a finger over the fraud's tanned chest.

'Bakura' gasped a bit but remained unmoving as the white blond fiend pushed him, causing the man to land on his back…he closed his eyes at the white blond's touches and began to sweat and pant nervously as Kura teased him more, the white blond mockingly laughed in his ear, that demonic and insulting laughter ringing in 'Bakura's' ears, arousing the man even more…those touches…so soft and subtle, caressing and massaging…

Stupid, Moronic, Idiotic man…in the midst of his pleasures he failed to realize that his so-called 'bed slave' was already holding a dagger high above his head. The imposter opened his eyes when the caresses ceased and looked above him, finding his own dagger hanging above his head waiting to fall any minute now.

"Yell and I'll cut your throat out, try to push me off and I'll cut you hands off…clear?" the white blond thief on top of him spoke, tilting his imposter's chin with the tip of the blade.

The imposter kept himself quiet in fear of getting killed, that icy look in the white blond's eyes obviously showed coldness…the white blond fiend clearly wouldn't hesitate to kill. The real thief king got off the fake one and pulled off the white wig on his imposter's head, "Ryou." The white blond fiend called out to his twin, "that's enough." He said, slightly envious and not to mention angry with Seth who got to be 'seduced' by Ryou.

The seemingly dominant pale teen on top of Seth quickly pulled back and got off the priest, blushing like mad and looking down at his lap while fiddling with his fingers, "S-sorry about that S-Seth…it was part of our p-plan." The shy white blond explained, looking up at the slightly flushed and did I mention aroused brunette.

Seth sat up and slipped the top portion of his robe back on, slightly embarrassed and not to mention turned on with Ryou's actions. He had never thought a teen so innocent and shy could act THAT good…Ryou was so dominant and direct with his gentle caresses and such…it was a shame he had to stop, Seth was really enjoying himself.

A little earlier that day back in the city at the royal palace, everyone was losing hope, it's been three days since the pharaoh Atemu and high priest Seth had disappeared and everyone was starting to think that things were hopeless. From the guards to the priests to the advisers and everyone within palace walls, they've all been frantically looking for the pharaoh and the high priest for three straight days with Mahado in charge of the searches. Everyone didn't forget about looking for Ryou of course so the reward for his safe return was still up for grabs.

Mahado had been trying his best to collect information from both the palace resources to the underground informants of Egypt, resorting to mingling with street thieves while in disguise. He had been making connections with thieves, street children and all sorts of poor people by disguising himself and pretending to be one of them but alas…nothing, his underground connection were good for something though for he had discovered from one of his thief informants that thief king Bakura was also reported to be missing. Sensing that things were too out of hand and that the thief king's disappearance may have a connection with the pharaoh, Ryou and the high priest's, he resorted to the use of the millennium ring in hopes of tracking down Seth's millennium rod, knowing that the brunette always carried with him his millennium item.

Since the first day of the pharaoh and high priest's disappearance, Mahado had been using the millennium ring to scout out for Seth's rod but the same with the first day and the next there was no response. The ring's hanging points did not lead him anywhere…there was absolutely no sign of the missing teens in the city or the area around it.

Tonight, Mahado set out to the outskirts of the city in his usual disguise that consisted of a ratty dark green cloak in hopes of getting more information from the street thieves in that area. Once he was away from the city he felt the concealed millennium ring around his neck responding to a nearby item.

"Pharaoh!" Mahado quickly drew out his ring from his cloak and followed its point, a single tip of the ring pointed towards the pair of twin cliffs a few miles away from the city and so the priest set off and rode to the direction the ring pointed.

Necro: I hope that little seducing scene in the imposter's tent was ok with you guys. I really hope it was ok. I've never typed something like that and I'm still making sure I don't go overboard considering that this fic is rated PG-13 or T so… /laughs nervously and waits for people to say 'You Suck'/

**R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/


	16. The Great Escape

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I own YuGiOh… /gets glared at by lawyers/ um…no I DON'T.

Necro: People, vote for your favorite pairing ok Seth/Ryou or Bakura/Ryou? Choose wisely and hurry so I'll have more time to think of an ending. Don't forget, I wont count how many votes there are instead I'll be reading the reasons, **do not I repeat do not bash the opposing pairing, thank you.**

** Thou shall not bash any pairing!**

Destined Duel 

Chapter 15 The Great Escape

Mahado watched the band of thieves from a distance, hiding behind a gigantic rock; the priest had followed the millennium ring and was led towards the twin cliffs near the city, upon his arrival he caught sight of at least fifteen armed bandits. He stayed low behind a couple of rocks that provided him with some cover, watching the pharaoh and an oddly dressed Egyptian eating quietly at a corner, getting picked on by the other bandits.

'At least the pharaoh's still safe' Mahado thought, studying the area and looking for a possible escape route; he couldn't go back to the city to gather some troops and return to the cliffs in large numbers, the bandits would probably end up using the pharaoh as a hostage. It was better if Mahado would infiltrate the bandits' camp alone and escape with their prisoners quietly rather than have an all-out battle that could risk getting the prisoners killed.

He just stayed there, quietly eyeing the bandits and seeking an opportunity to rescue the prisoners; he thought of various plans for escape but before he could start executing those plans he'd have to find Seth first, it was Seth's millennium rod that led him there so Seth's probably with the pharaoh…but where? The brunette wasn't anywhere in sight…so Mahado waited and waited.

In the leader's tent, the real Bakura interrogated his imposter, "Why did you pretend to be the thief king?" Bakura asked, not revealing his true identity, "don't you know how dangerous impersonating the thief king is? If the palace guards don't get you then the real thief king's loyal lackeys will." He said, taking the imposter's discarded cloak on the ground and wearing it, covering his urban clothes with the tattered cloak.

After a moment of whimpering in fear, the imposter spoke, "I was simply ordered to for you see I have been told that the real thief king has disappeared." He explained, "someone lent me some of thief king Bakura's lackeys and paid me to pretend to be the thief king so as to keep the great one's disappearance confidential." He kneeled in front of Bakura.

"Who ordered you?" Bakura questioned, the dagger still pointing at the fraud.

"It was a man named Namu Ishtal, he said he was a good friend of the thief king's so I did not refuse his order." The imposter replied, still kneeling and looking up at Bakura. Ah, good old Ishtal…always on top of things and making sure everything would run smoothly without suspicion.

"Ishtal…very well, I respect anyone who is under the thief king's wing therefore I will not do you any harm BUT." He stopped, lowering the dagger and looking intently at the fraud, "I want you to let us go." Bakura said sternly.

The imposter nodded his head frantically and agreed to set them free while Bakura was relaying his thoughts to Ryou through their mind link; Bakura was mentally giving Ryou the directions towards the secret passage somewhere nearby that would take them back to the Tunnels of Blood and ultimately take them to the city by means of using the underground passageways.

As Bakura turned to face Ryou a sound of neighing horses was heard from outside, the three teens quickly exited the tent and found themselves in the middle of chaos; it seems that a horse was set loose and had caused some ruckus in the thief camp. Bandits were trying their best to control the horse which they noticed was not one of theirs, while they were trying to calm the horse down and stop it from running around and destroying their tents some of the other horses were also set free.

In the middle of all the commotion, Atemu and Malik had taken advantage of this opportunity to escape and flee, knocking out the two bandits who were supposed to be guarding them. Bakura mentally told Ryou through their mind link to go on towards the secret tunnel without him and that he along with their other companions would catch up as soon as possible. Reluctantly, Ryou agreed and grabbed hold of Seth's wrist, leading him towards the secret passage Bakura was talking about which was not very far from the thieves' camp.

Without a word and a final glance at the thief king, Seth followed Ryou to wherever they were headed to. Strange…it's only been a few days since Seth had been acquainted with the King of all Thieves whom at first he wanted to strangle and torture and lock up in a room full of poisonous snakes but now…Bakura was actually helping him and the pharaoh…the thief king for the past few days was an ally not a threat.

Once Ryou and Seth were out of sight Bakura quickly ran towards where Malik and Atemu were at, finding a stranger untying the bounds on their wrists. The stranger was unseen except by Bakura who was the only one who wasn't trying to calm the rampaging horses down; no one seemed to have noticed the stranger sneaking into their camp and freeing their prisoners.

The thief king sauntered towards them in a flash and as he approached nearer to them he saw the stranger's face…it was Mahado, a high priest! At first, Bakura stopped dead in his tracks, a cold sweat trickling at the side of his face…this was like walking directly into a trap and surrendering himself to the authorities but…since he still looked like Ryou then it wouldn't be too likely that Mahado would suspect him of being the thief king right? But then again, the pharaoh was sure to point out that he wasn't Ryou…

As if on cue, a couple of bandits noticed Mahado freeing the prisoners and attacked him, stopping the priest from rescuing the hostages…Malik's bounds were already untied so he swiftly helped the stranger on fending off the bandits. Luckily for Bakura, one of the bandits managed to knock out Atemu who was about to get loose from the ropes he was bound in.

Bakura jumped at the chance since he didn't have to worry about the pharaoh blabbering about his true identity. The thief king helped Mahado and Malik, fighting off a few bandits and yelling for Malik to get a couple of horses for their escape. The modern Egyptian blond obliged and left the fighting to the other two so he could get some horses for them. Mahado was at first surprised to see 'Ryou' fighting so expertly as if he'd been fighting for so many years, the priest could see how fast 'Ryou's' reflexes were in the way the pale teen dodged and counter-attacked.

Malik got them two horses, one brown and the other black. Quickly getting on the brown horse, Mahado picked up the unconscious Atemu and settled the pharaoh in front of him while Malik and Bakura got on the black horse; Bakura sitting in the front with Malik at the back, making a quick grab for his and Ryou's backpacks.

"Wait Ryou, where's Seth?" Mahado questioned 'Ryou'.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. At this moment he's already on his way towards the city." Bakura who was pretending to be Ryou explained. Malik was about to open his mouth to ask Bakura why he was pretending to be Ryou and why he left Seth and Ryou behind but Bakura cut him off with a 'don't ask, I know what I'm doing' glare, silencing the blond Egyptian.

The bandits who were trying to tame the wild horses stopped and ignored the animals, quickly gathering to draw out their weapons and head towards their escaping prisoners. With no time to argue, Mahado reluctantly took 'Ryou's' word that Seth would be all right. The prisoners escaped on their horses, leaving behind the bandits who were still having trouble taming their horses who refused to behave.

Finally freedom…Mahado and the pharaoh were a few feet ahead which gave Bakura a chance to privately talk to Malik who was trying his best to hold onto his and Ryou's backpacks.

"What happened to Seth and Ryou?" Malik questioned, sure that the pale teen in front of him was not Ryou, "I can't believe you just left them behind!" the blond spoke angrily.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine." The thief king replied while pulling up the hood of the cloak he stole from his imposter back at the camp. "I gave Ryou directions to an escape route he and the priest can use…they'll be fine." He added, slightly worried for Ryou sake.

During the remainder of their horse ride towards the city, Bakura explained to Malik about the tunnels Ryou and Seth were now using and that he'll be pretending to be Ryou for now probably because if Mahado found out that they were in the presence of the thief king he'd get captured.

Seth and Ryou were already at a considerable distance away from the thief camp, making their way down a narrow path of stones that led downwards. The pale teen searched for the secret entrance he had been told about, scouting out any irregularities on the stones when finally after fingering a few rocks he found what he was looking for.

A big flat rock the size of a sarcophagus laid on the ground with other bigger stones surrounding it was actually the entrance to the passage. At first glance the stone looked heavy and impossible to move; this was what Seth thought. Ryou started pushing the flat stone from all different angles with Seth helping him, finally after the seventh push the flat surfaced rock smoothly slid to the left, revealing a staircase that led downwards.

The two made their way downwards and upon setting foot on the dark floor of the secret corridor the opened entrance above them closed, leaving them in the darkness with no light whatsoever. Ryou clung onto Seth's left arm as they walked straight, trying his best not to cower in fear of something coming out to attack them.

Darkness…emptiness…the taunting silence of death…the unbearably strong scent of blood filling the air…Ryou and Seth continued to walk in a straight line; the pale teen sticking close to the priest while the brunette had drawn out his millennium rod.

"What now Ryou?" Seth asked the teen beside him, "where do we head to? All I can see is darkness."

The pale teen tried to recall the instructions his other half had given him, there was a trick to this underground passage that wasn't so easy to spot…what was it again…oh yes…_don't trust your eyes._ The trick was to ignore the darkness and concentrate on your movements, _At the scent of blood go on a straight line, at the sound of crawling scorpions go to the left, repeat this process over and over again until all is silent…_

"Let me see…Bakura said that if you smell blood you should walk straight." The white blond spoke, "If you hear the sound of approaching scorpions, go to the left."

"There's no sound so that means we continue to move forward, correct?" the priest responded.

"Yes."

They ventured deeper through the endless corridor of darkness then suddenly came to a halt when they heard the sound of crawling creatures, remembering Bakura's instructions they turned left and continued to walk forwards until they once again heard the sound of scorpions thus making another turn to the left.

After a few blind turns they couldn't hear or smell anything, "There's nothing, what now?"

"Um…" the white blond tried to recall the next part of his other half's instructions, _don't trust your eyes…when all is calm go to the right_, "We go to the right." And so the two walked to the right in the dark, side by side with nothing to guide them except Bakura's instructions. Abruptly, they were met by a dead end so again the pale teen recalled Bakura's words, _when met by a dead end, crouch low and make your way to the right…still do not trust your eyes._

"We crouch down." Ryou said, pulling Seth down along with him, they faced to the right and found a small tunnel that was fortunately big enough for two persons; they crawled and crawled side by side with Ryou giving out instructions.

When finally the two teens had managed to get out of the small tunnel they found themselves in a small four-walled room lit by a single torch on the wall that illuminated a metal door facing in front of them. Seth was about to reach out and grab the handle of the iron door when Ryou quickly spoke up, "Don't" he said, placing hand on the priest's shoulder and stopping the brunette from opening the door.

"Don't trust your eyes." The serene teen spoke, eyeing the priest and shaking his head no, "Bakura said, don't trust your eyes…he meant this door, it isn't the exit…it's probably a trap" He said.

"Where do we head from here? There's no other way." The priest pointed out, looking around the small room.

"Hold on…" the pale teen walked to the center of the room and sighed…what was it he was supposed to do next? "Let me try to remember, um…_ 'At the scent of blood go on a straight line, at the sound of crawling scorpions go to the left, repeat this process over and over again until all is silent… don't trust your eyes…when all is calm go to the right, when met by a dead end, crouch low and make your way to the right…still do not trust your eyes'_…and then…err…" at this the teen started fidgeting uncomfortably.

"And then?"

"I…" Ryou nervously scratched the backside of his head, "seem to have forgotten the last part." He laughed a bit nervously.

The priest sighed in a sign of defeat, "try to remember." He said.

"I am…hold on…this could take a while." The paler of the two replied, "Oh, things were so hectic back there that I didn't get the chance to completely memorize the last part."

"Can't you talk to your other half and ask him? You know, mentally?"

"I could try." And try the pale boy did, but for some reason he couldn't reach the thief…great, their link's been blocked…probably another side affect caused by the shadow realm and all that, causing their mind link to be a bit faulty, "I can't seem to reach him, it seems we're stuck here for now…until I remember the last part that is."

Seth couldn't bring himself to be angry at the shy teen for getting them lost, it wasn't Ryou's fault that the verse was kind of long …he just couldn't be angry…all he could, they could do was hope that Ryou would be able to recall the last verse so they could get out of there or wait for Bakura and the others to catch up. The two sat at a dark corner with Seth trying to help Ryou remember the details of Bakura's instructions and Ryou trying with all his might to recite the whole verse over and over again in case he might suddenly blurt out the last part.

At the palace, Mahado and the others had just arrived, the priest still thinking that Bakura was Ryou. The other priests who were worried sick about their fellow priest all warmly welcomed them and tended to their every need. The unconscious pharaoh was brought to his bedchamber so he could rest properly while Bakura who was still playing the role of his other half was sent to Ryou's room and Malik was given the room closest to Bakura's. Right now, Malik and Mahado were talking a bit and introducing themselves to each other in Malik's assigned room which was pretty much the same as Ryou's with its canopy bed, stone walls, open windows, expensive draped cloths and such.

"So Malik, you say that you are an Egyptian from Ryou's time?" Mahado inquired, standing in front of the blond Egyptian and examining the teen's clothes, "well, that would surely explain your garments."

"Ryou and I are friends and I'm here to look after him." The blond replied, "he's been sent here to fulfill a prophecy that holds the future together." Now that Mahado had taken off his cloak and was know dressed in his priestly robes Malik couldn't help but notice how Mahado looked so much like the Dark Magician, though Mahado was Egyptian-looking he still looked so much like the duel monster…the blond chose not to bother to think too much about this…it's probably just some sort of coincidence.

"Prophecy? Hm…I suspected something as that to be the reason for his sudden appearance in our time." The priest responded, "If you are here to look after him then that means you play a crucial part in all this…like a link that guides the key, with Ryou as the said key, correct?"

"I suppose you could say that, I hold the information necessary for everything to fall into their places…I just can't tell Ryou or anyone what it is that he has to accomplish in this world. If I do I might end up changing the outcome." Malik spoke gravely.

"What about Seth? I'm positive that this prophecy has a lot to do with him…and the thief king, am I right?"

"Yes…They have the main roles here but I can't tell you anymore than what you now know." the blond replied, "the pharaoh's been drawn into all this though he has no part in it, we're sorry that we got you're King into all this fuss Mahado."

"There is no need for apologies." The priest gave a smile, "it is destiny's way of fulfilling this prophecy I suppose, and perhaps the pharaoh has an unwritten part in all this."

"True, things don't always go as planned." Malik spoke, "speaking of Seth and destiny, I sure hope that he's ok." The blond added though mentally saying; 'I hope Seth and Ryou are ok'

"He has his Millennium Rod, he'll be fine." Mahado replied, "He's probably miles away from those thieves and is now in hiding. I'll go arrange a search party to look for him in those cliffs, besides he's very resourceful, I doubt that those thieves can find him." With that, Mahado left the room to issue a search for his fellow high priest.

Necro: I never expected this fic to have more than 15 chapters…actually I thought this was going to be over in about 14 or 15 chapters but it seems it's going to last a wee bit longer, and to think I thought that I was half way done in chapter 6 or 7. The whole 'Bakura's verse instructions' thing was kind of random so…please don't hurt me…

I apologize for asking for answers for my EMERGENCY QUESTIONS, really I am. It's just that…I'm not that well informed coz I don't have Internet access. Most of you probably know that a friend of mine posts my fics for me and I rarely get the chance to read and review fics in the net on my own.

/holds out millennium rod/ you will give a nice and long review…you will be a constant reviewer/reads my list of demands/ oh and…you will read and review my other fic; **THE GAME…**


	17. Lost in the Dark

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh period!

Necro: I've still got writer's block and I'm still doing everything in my power to get rid of it…yet nothing works…Argh!

Guys, I've been thinking…this was supposed to be a S/R fic but I can't deny the fact that I also want it to be R/B so…I've come to a conclusion to PERHAPS make an alternative R/B ending that'll still fit with the past scenarios. The first ending you'll be reading later on in this story will be S/R, the real ending but the chapter after that will be R/B as a tribute to those who wanted it so much. There wont be an Atemu ending so…sorry?

PERHAPS…K…PERHAPS…I have a life to you know…

**Destined Duel**

Chapter 16 Lost in the Dark

Malik sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the stone floors when he finally snapped. He just couldn't take it anymore! He was too worried about Ryou and Seth that he couldn't even go to sleep or something, while he was in the palace being pampered with an exquisite room Seth and Ryou were in the desert…

With a rather frustrated scowl, Malik got up and exited his room to take a stroll around the palace grounds. It was a little late in the night as he walked alone, the stars somewhat enticing him to calm down…his friends were going to fine right? As the blond Egyptian continued his stroll he suddenly found himself looking up at a girl with brown hair.

"Agh!" the two suddenly yelped, both surprised as they bumped into one another, Malik was the first one to recover, "Sorry about that…I wasn't paying much attention." He apologized to the girl brunette who was dressed in white feminine robes.

"I also apologize, I was a bit distracted." the female replied sheepishly. Malik paused a bit as he took in the girl's appearance…that perky smile and that face…and those eyes…the Dark Magician Girl?

The female Egyptian also took a moment to pause and observe Malik's appearance, noticing the foreign designed garments and blond hair, "You must be Malik, I've heard about you from my mentor." She said with a smile, "I'm Mana." She spoke.

"Mana…" the blond modern Egyptian whispered to himself…wow! Mana looked exactly like the Dark Magician Girl except for the fact that she was a brunette instead of a blond. Snapping out from his thoughts, the time-traveler spoke, "Um, nice to meet you Mana, I'm Malik." He introduced himself.

Just then Mahado entered the scene, "I see that you've met my apprentice." He spoke, Mana suddenly twitched and jumped when her master suddenly appeared behind her. "M-m-master…uh." She faltered, turning to face the said mentor.

"Apprentice." The priest addressed the female brunette.

"Apprentice?" Malik raised a brow at the title.

"Yes…she's my apprentice, I've been teaching Mana here some magic for quite some time." The priest explained, "I consider her as my student…who for some reason tried to skip her lessons with me tonight by sneaking out of the room while I was ordering a few troops to look for Seth." Mahado spoke accusingly, playfully glaring at the said trainee.

"Err…sorry?" the girl tried to apologize jokingly, "I-I just wanted to meet one of our guests that's all." She answered.

"You didn't have to sneak out from our session for that, I would've gradually introduced you to them if the pharaoh was awake so I could ask permission." Mahado replied.

"Just like when you promised to introduce me to the pharaoh's pale guest master?" the apprentice playfully retorted, "Master, you never really got to introduce me to Ryou you know." the brunette playfully pouted.

"I'm sorry about that, I was busy before so I had forgotten all about that." The priest chuckled a bit, "now then, since you've already met Malik I suppose you're happy now."

"But-I-I didn't get to meet Ryou!" Mana quickly tried to argue.

"You can meet him tomorrow, as for now you'll be doing twice the amount of training you were supposed to do as a punishment for sneaking out tonight." The priest scolded in a friendly nature, taking Mana's wrist and steering them towards the corridors. The girl groaned in defeat, obediently following her master while waving a quick goodbye to Malik.

Once Mahado and Mana were out of sight Malik pondered to himself, "That was…odd." Master and Apprentice…just like the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in Duel monsters…Mahado and Mana…they even looked like the duel monsters back at the present. Were the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl based on those two Egyptians? If so, they must be really close to the pharaoh Atemu.

Alone in one of the palace bedchambers, Bakura who was impersonating Ryou was looking over at the valuables in the room. As his gaze moved from wall to wall he noticed the strange and foreign objects on the table. Sauntering towards the table he immediately knew that those things belonged to Ryou, I mean who wouldn't? It was a modern schoolbag for Ra's sake? Who wouldn't figure out that it was Ryou's? Bakura eyed the schoolbag and its contents, which primarily consisted of books, notebooks, papers, pens and other school supplies, but what caught his attention however was an open notebook laid on the table with blue-inked writings.

The thief took hold of the notebook and was surprised to discover that he was able to read its contents. For some reason, Bakura could read modern Japanese characters! It was probably one of the shadow realm's side effects…he must be sharing his other half's reading and writing skills as well.

He read and read and read the writings over and over again, unhappy with his other half's thoughts. As the thief comprehended the writings, a frown took place on his face while his eyes moved from left to right as he read Ryou's makeshift diary.

'_Today has been an absolute dream and I don't know if it's real, I'm in ancient Egypt, and I've met the pharaoh Atemu and his high priest Seth. The pharaoh looks like Yugi and Seth looks like Kaiba, what's weirdest of all is…I think I've fallen in love with Seth.' _The thief king read his twin's past entry silently…his other half was in love with the high priest…with Seth…Looks like Bakura really does have a rival on winning Ryou's affections…this was clearly the end of childish battles…now it was war.

"So…you were interested in the priest back when we hadn't met in the alley…" the Ryou look-a-like whispered seriously to himself with a murderous expression on his face… "Another infidel suitor other than that pharaoh…" he said, balling his hands into fists.

Ryou…he loved Ryou not as a trophy but as a person…a lover, this the thief knew well…but the thought of Ryou loving someone else was painful…The thief king was flaring in anger back when he found out that the pharaoh kissed Ryou and confessed his love to the pale teen…he was angry that someone wanted to take HIS Ryou away…now Seth was butting in. He didn't want to sound like the evil antagonist in their love tri-err rectangle…but still, he did NOT want to lose Ryou to the man responsible for his village's massacre and that man's priest.

The white blond fiend placed the notebook back on its place on the table, sprawled open as it was before. He took one last look at it and sighed, needing to control the mix of negative emotions that were welling up in him. Walking up towards the open windowsill he breathed in and then out, letting the cool night breeze relax him from his strenuous thoughts. Just sitting there, staring outside at the night sky, thinking and worrying about Ryou who was still out there beyond the safe palace walls…alone…with Seth. At the thought of the despised name the thief unconsciously growled a bit…Ryou was safe since he was with someone who could protect him but…that someone was a potential suitor who could be doing Ra knows what with Ryou by now.

Bakura had been sure that those two were bound to show up tomorrow or sooner since he was absolutely certain that the Tunnels of Blood would serve them well…he just hoped that Ryou didn't forget those instructions given. They'll be all right…they will…it's no use worrying about something like that…right?

They sat there at a corner…huddled up together, staring at there surroundings, occasionally giving the metal door a look…while Ryou was trying to remember a few lines of the verse he had recalled Bakura saying something about 'dangerous metal doors' that were not to be opened…behind such doors were usually booby-trapped poisoned arrows ready to shoot or poisonous gases or even pressurized salt acids…so Ryou and Seth refrained from opening the said door and simply watched the flames from a torch on the wall flicker in front of them…it was getting really late in the night yet Seth and Ryou were still stuck within the four walls of the underground room. Bakura and the others had not caught up with them as planned, making Ryou worry for the safety of his friends.

"They're still not here." The pale teen told the priest sitting beside him at his left, "Bakura said that they were going to catch up with us…but they're still not here Seth." He added in a worried tone.

"Perhaps there's been a change of plans?" Seth suggested, "what if that idiotic Bakura impersonator decided to keep everyone else as hostages…that snake." He scowled.

"I still can't remember the last part of the verse…and it's getting colder in this room by the minute." Ryou spoke, hugging himself, "Seems like that torch over there is just for show." He laughed dryly and on the verge of breaking down into sobs, upset at the torch that did not give enough warmth for comfort and for the mess they were in.

"Patience Ryou, patience, you'll remember sooner or later." The brunette huddled closer to Ryou and wrapped his arms around the fragile teen, sharing their body heat so as to fight off the cold air in the room.

"So cold…." Ryou began to shiver and drift into slumber, weakly clutching onto the priest, "Seth…I'm sorry for getting us lost…I'm such an idiot." He told himself guiltily, blaming himself for their current state.

"Everything will be fine."

"No, everything's going to get worse all because I got us into this mess." The white blond spoke, near to tears, "I'm so stupid to forget such important directions…I mean, what kind of an imbecile forgets such instructions of utmost importance! We were better off walking in the desert with no food or water rather than using these tunnels…we're gonna die here, hungry, cold and delusional."

"Look, stop blaming yourself for all this, it wont help us…" the priest tried to sooth the distraught teen in his arms, "if you're really sorry then try to figure a way for us to get out of here…R-Ryou don't cry." Too late…Ryou started sobbing his heart out, breaking down in Seth's arms and longing for the priest to hold him close.

"I'm so sorry…I messed up! I'm just a burden!" Ryou choked in his words, clutching Seth's garments and burying his head in the brunette's chest.

He cried… with the occasional gasp and sniff, he couldn't take it anymore…all his life he was a pathetic excuse for a person…a weakling who couldn't even do simple things right, a heavy burden who needs to be taken care of at all times…it sucked to be so delicate and weak! It sucked to not be able to fend off attackers! It sucked to be so frail and useless…it sucked to be Ryou…

All those times…he merely stood there unmoving…just stood there with no role…if not he'd be in need of rescuing…why couldn't he be more useful? He was a waste of skin! A waste of bones! A waste of soul! Just a useless puppet that needs someone to pull his strings…

Seth broke down his last barrier of aloofness to comfort the crying teen in his arms. The priest held Ryou close, whispering assurances to the white blond while rubbing circles over Ryou's back…that was it…Seth couldn't keep on hiding his emotions, the teen in his arms desperately needed comfort…Ryou was calling out for him.

"It's all right…everything will be fine Ryou." The priest whispered lovingly into Ryou's ear, hugging the teen closer and putting up a rather tender look "you're not a burden to me…"

"But…I always need protecting…it's always been the same…protecting or saving." The white blond replied softly, still sobbing and being held by the brunette, "Even back at my world…I always seem to be so helpless…so pathetic."

"Stop it…you're not pathetic."

The white blond looked up with teary eyes, locking his gaze with Seth's then sniffled, "Seth…don't deny it, I'm a burden who needs to be looked after…I'm weak."

"We all are…in some way." At this the priest pulled Ryou closer, "don't worry…to me you're not a burden."

"Seth…" Ryou murmured the name with an emotion so strong that it could have been…love…yes, love. Yet, Ryou did not know what he felt anymore…was he in love with Seth or with Bakura? It was different with the both of them…they were somewhat similar in some ways but…which one of the two did he really love? Better yet…did the two truly love him as well?

They pulled apart a bit but just enough to look at each other's eyes directly. Chocolate watery eyes locked with stunningly blue ones… "I'll protect you…Ryou." The priest whispered, leaning close to Ryou… "I'll always be here for you," he whispered as leaned closer…and closer…

Ryou blushed and flustered as the brunette stared into his chocolate brown orbs and drew closer, his heart pounded as he felt his face grow warm. Here was the priest he was crushing on back when he had first arrived at Egypt…lately he hadn't been able to sort out his feelings for the priest since there was Bakura and now another suitor; Atemu. Seth continued to gaze at his secret love…just staring at the angelic creature whose tears made his stony heart ache…he just gazed with an eternal longing for Ryou and let everything, every thought, every scenario drift into bliss… their lips drew closer and closer in such a painstakingly slow movement, longing for that moment in which their lips would make contact and they could finally be together…

Stop.

Right.

There…

Necro: No really! STOP. RIGHT. THERE…sorry for this being so short and all.

Review this fic for the sake of all that is humane! Oh and check out my other fic THE GAME it's a Seto/Ryou fic with some fluff and weird scenarios; ever seen Seto Kaiba punch someone? Or have you ever seen Ryou being an assistant? If not then check out The Game and review!


	18. Namu the Tomb Keeper

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own a single anime on the face of this earth so don't you even try to ask me if I own YuGiOh.

Necro: …Here I am once again with another update.

Note: Namu Ishtal in this fic is a **grown man** who has a kind heart and is sort of like a trusted comrade of thief king Bakura. He adopts children and takes care of them so he's actually a good guy. Namu is **not a thief** but he is a friend of Bakura, actually he's a tomb keeper. Namu here looks sort of like Malik's father ok. I mentioned a kid named Nam earlier in this fic and I just want to explain to everyone that **Nam** is one of the children that Namu **adopted**, actually Namu named Nam after himself. Don't forget **Namu is Bakura's friend** and **Nam is the kid thief.**

In the last chapter, Ryou and Seth were lost in the tunnels and I sort of abruptly stopped their last scene. This chapter starts a little earlier than that last scene in the last chapter ok.

I just want to remind people of the note I gave out in chapter 13, this is very important incase there are people there who think that Seth and Atemu's bodies were able to get through the Shadow Realm and into Ryou's world in the past few chapters:_ Don't forget, Seth and Atemu's real bodies were left in the Shadow realm so when they travel back to Egypt through the Shadow realm Seth and Atemu automatically goes back to their original Egyptian bodies._

**To clarify things incase someone is confused, in previous chaps wherein Seth and Atemu traveled to Domino, their **bodies were left in the Shadow Realm**…so upon arriving in Domino, they immediately **possessed Kaiba and Yugi's bodies

**When the two **went back** to Egypt, they **left Kaiba and Yugi's bodies** and **returned to their original Egyptian bodies**, which were in the Shadow Realm.**

Destined Duel 

Chapter 17 Namu the Tomb Keeper

A man with a slightly muscular build and tanned body was in a certain underground room filled with stolen gold that was the home of none other than the thief king. The adult male had shoulder-length blond hair, which was rather uncommon in Egypt and an equally blond beard; he was dressed in a white garment and was looking around the gold adorned room.

This man was Namu Ishtal the tomb keeper; a good friend of Bakura's who acted as a sort of assistant or right hand man for the thief king. Ishtal looked at the room and eyed the tapestry on its wall; he had rushed immediately to the secret underground room as soon as he heard from one of his informants that the fake Bakura he had set up was attacked by a ferocious white haired teen. Upon hearing the flash news about the white blond teen, Namu immediately thought of the first person who fitted that description; Bakura the thief king.

If the white blond teenager who attacked the imposter Bakura was really the real Bakura, why did Bakura attack the fraud? Bakura could've just exposed himself and there wouldn't have had to be a fight. Something here was wrong…it was certain…the thief king was finally back and just in time too; because of Bakura's disappearance a small group of thieves and such had formed to overthrow their missing thief lord.

Namu was one of the few men who knew how to use Bakura's 'Tunnels of Blood'. The blond Egyptian checked the secret passage behind the tapestry on the wall and found it to be wide open; no one had entered Bakura's room ever since the thief king had disappeared since Bakura didn't want just anyone to enter his lair. The passage was open so naturally Namu wondered if Bakura had disappeared into those tunnels. That would be nonsense though since Bakura was actually quite accustomed to the tunnels and would definitely not get lost in there.

Deciding to try and look for his friend Bakura, the ancient Egyptian grabbed a torch and entered the dark passageways to search for the missing underground king. As the ancient Egyptian ventured deeper into the tunnels he couldn't help but feel worried for his friend; Bakura was like one of his adopted sons, the white blond was among his favorites who was brave and fierce yet loyal and gentle…he really didn't want to find the young thief king dead in those tunnels…what if Bakura got stung by one of the scorpions?

Namu ventured through the tunnels for about half an hour when he suddenly heard the sounds of a sobbing person. Following the soft echo he heard not just one voice but actually two; the other was distraught and the other was trying to comfort the other voice. Without wasting another second, the blond ancient Egyptian tapped a few blocks on one of the stone walls in a patterned way and revealed yet another hidden passage; the secret hole in the wall was actually a secret entrance to a simple four-walled torch-lit room and there inside were the sources of the two voices.

There sat huddled up together and seemingly about to kiss were two teens, one was a foreign-looking male teen with long white blond hair that surprised Namu and the other was the face of a certain brunette high priest who was familiar to him, I mean…of course he'd be familiar with the priest since he was after all a well-informed comrade of thief king himself.

It was high priest Seth and another person whom he figured was Ryou; the tomb keeper had been away from the city for sometime but upon his return he had heard the news about the mysterious pale guest of the pharaoh's named Ryou.

The priest immediately drew his face away from Ryou's, backing away in a flash because of the unexpected viewer. Ryou who had felt so vulnerable and ready to kiss his crush blushed in embarrassment…was Seth really about to kiss him? If the stranger hadn't intervened would Ryou have gotten his kiss?

Seth looked at the adult blond and didn't know that the blond man knew who he really was so he decided to conceal his identity of being a high priest. "Do you know the way out of here?" the priest spoke, looking up at the man standing in front of him and Ryou.

The tomb keeper, as an ally of the notorious thief king was supposed to dispose the high priest in front of him…though Namu clearly knew that the brunette was Seth he decided to play along and pretend that he didn't know that the brunette was a high priest.

"What brings you both here into this chamber?" Namu asked inquisitively, wondering how on earth the priest and the foreigner were able to enter Bakura's secret underground passageways; surely if the two had just accidentally stumbled upon an entrance to the said tunnels they'd be dead by now with all the traps set up.

"A friend of ours guided us here but…we sort of got lost." Ryou lied, he and the priest getting up from the floor. Hah! A friend guided them? It was apparent to Namu that the two teens were lying since Bakura was the only person other than himself who knew how the tunnels were used…this so-called 'friend' had to be Bakura but…if this friend was indeed Bakura, why would the thief king show them the tunnels?

If it were to kill Seth, Namu could understand but…this boy named Ryou… The tomb keeper had heard from his adoptive son Nam that Bakura was actually quite fond of Ryou…Bakura wouldn't kill Ryou too would he?

Instead of questioning further, the blond man chose to nod and simply help the two teens exit the said tunnels. Who knows how long those two were stuck in that chamber. "Well then, come along you two. I better get you both out of here then." He spoke warmly, smiling like a father.

The two teens followed the man on their way out and on their way introduced themselves to their rescuer. "I'm so glad you found us kind sir, my name is-" Ryou started but was immediately cut off.

"Ryou right? The pharaoh's missing guest from a far away land." Namu spoke, "I've heard so much about you the moment I returned to this city…the pharaoh's been looking for you and everyone has been too since a reward was to be offered for your safe return." The ancient Egyptian explained.

"What about you young man? What's your name?" Namu asked Seth though he already knew who the priest was.

Suspecting the kind man to probably be a thief since the man knew about the 'Tunnels of Blood', Seth lied to the man, "I am Seto." He said, using his future self's name instead of his own.

Ryou gave Seth questioning look before getting the drift; he had eventually figured out that the priest was telling a lie for a good reason.

The three were finally able to exit the tunnels and found themselves in Bakura's secret room. Namu borrowed a couple of black full-body covering cloaks from the absent Bakura and gave two of them to Ryou and 'Seto'. Disguised with the black cloaks to hide Ryou's modern-day outfit and Seth's rather priestly robe, the three of them headed to the tavern above the secret lair and were immediately met by the sights and smells of liquor and such.

Figuring that the two teens were probably hungry after being lost in the tunnels, Namu decided to feed them so they sat in a table a little far from every other thief in the room as Namu ordered some food.

"I am Namu Ishtal by the way." Namu introduced himself, seeing as he hadn't done so before, "a pleasure to meet you both." He added, smiling warmly at the two teens sitting across the table.

Namu Ishtal…as in Ishtal, the ancestor of Malik? Namu Ishtal…the man who adopts children? Ishtal…who is Bakura's friend? For a moment, Seth and Ryou paused but immediately switched back to their normal expressions so as not to alarm the blond tomb keeper.

"A pleasure to meet you as well sir, really, we must thank you for saving us." Ryou replied with a smile.

"Oh, I was simply in the area so I was able to help." The blond adult replied earnestly, "Oh, here comes our food." He brightly added as the waitress brought them their food.

During their meal, the three conversed with one another about normal things but would always steer clear of questions that may lead to Bakura or anything related to that matter; they were watching each other's moves and the way each of them spoke, trying to look for anything out of character or odd.

Namu seemed nice…in Ryou's eyes at least while 'Seto' still kept a suspicious eye on their rescuer. The ancient Egyptian invited the two teens to stay over at his home since the teens had claimed to be on the run from someone they did not wish to mention and that it would be risky to head to the palace to return Ryou to the pharaoh that night. Namu accepted this excuse for his secret purpose of keeping Ryou within the thief king's reach; if Bakura were to return then the thief would likely appreciate it if Namu looked after the valuable Ryou for the mean time.

Back at the palace, Malik got fed up with walking around the palace…I mean, sure it was fascinating to look at the exquisite architecture of the palace walls and to observe the beautifully chiseled statues but when you've got your friends to worry about you just can't enjoy the scenery and luxury.

Deciding to calm down and think rationally, Malik thought it was best for him to get some sleep; he had been worrying about Ryou and Seth for hours and the night was getting wasted. Worrying too much wouldn't help the situation so Malik returned to his bedchamber to get some sleep though at first he had a few difficulties in doing so.

By the time Malik had fallen asleep, Atemu who had been brought to the palace unconscious earlier finally woke up. The tri color haired pharaoh woke up with a jolt then immediately looked around his surroundings. He was back in the city, in the palace, laid on his luxurious bed in his vast and royal bedchamber.

Slightly confused, the pharaoh sat up and tried to sort out his thoughts…wasn't he with Malik in the outskirts of the city…as a captive of a group of thieves with their leader pretending to be Bakura?

Bakura…that's right! Where were Bakura, Ryou and Seth…they were sent to that bandit leader's tent while the pharaoh and Malik were bound then…what happened after that? All Atemu could remember was that there was a little fuss when a horse suddenly went crazy and entered the thief camp like mad…then a conk on the head sent the pharaoh unconscious.

As if on cue, Mahado quietly peeked into the bedroom to check on the pharaoh and upon seeing that pharaoh was indeed awake he entered the room. "Pharaoh, you've awakened."

"Yes…H-how exactly did I return to the palace…and where are Ryou and the others? Are they all right?" the young pharaoh asked almost frantically, trying to get up from his bed but slipping back down due to the lack of energy.

"Pharaoh, there is no need to worry…they are all fine and well and are now resting in their rooms…but." Mahado paused.

"But what?" Atemu questioned, hoping that nothing too awful happened.

"Seth is still in the desert but there's no need to worry your majesty, I'm sure Seth can take care of himself and is probably going to be back within palace walls by tomorrow…plus I've already dispatched a search party for him." The priest explained, calming down the pharaoh.

"I-I see…well…what about Ryou?"

Mahado sauntered over to the bed-ridden king and replied, "He is fine and is currently in his room, probably sleeping. The other teen named Malik is in another room probably asleep as well." He explained.

"Oh…I see…" for a moment the pharaoh took a moment to sort out his thoughts…Ryou and Malik were in their rooms, Seth was in the desert...what about Bakura? "Are you sure there's no one else other Malik and Ryou who's currently occupying one of the palace rooms? Are you sure that Malik was the only one with Ryou while I was unconscious?" the pharaoh questioned, wondering what happened to the obnoxious tomb robber…

"Only Malik sire…was there someone else?" Mahado answered.

"No…just wondering that's all." Atemu replied… 'That thief probably escaped while I was unconscious…that thief really is sly…I wonder why he didn't kill me…" the pharaoh pondered deeply, he was sure that if he'd turn his back the thief king would likely strike.

"Sire…May I make a request on behalf of all the high priests?" Mahado requested, kneeling by the side of his king's bed.

"A request? What is it that you ask of me Mahado?" the pharaoh questioned, sitting up straight and straightening his position to look at the kneeling priest.

"I think it would be best if you were to wear the millennium puzzle from now on pharaoh." The priest spoke, "I'm well aware of the risks that would bring…if you were to be spotted with the millennium puzzle around your neck then that would probably entice the thief king to make a move to steal it or perhaps harm you or the like but…I think it would be best if you had a millennium item with you at all times so as not to repeat this incident wherein you had disappeared for more than three days." Mahado explained.

After a deep thought the pharaoh replied, "Mahado…we've talked about this before. We've talked about the risks involved if I were to wear the puzzle but…you're quite right…at least if I have an item with me you can look for me with your ring…besides, I'm sure the thief king would think twice if he plans to steal the puzzle…he'll have to go through my priests and the puzzle's magic right?" he spoke, smiling.

Mahado smiled back and spoke, "I'm glad you approve of this pharaoh…it was extremely difficult to look for you and I had to search for Seth's millennium rod to locate you, thinking that you were probably with him." A pause, "Speaking of your disappearance…sire, how exactly did you disappear?" the priest stood up and raised a suspicious brow…looking a bit like a suspicious big brother who had caught his little brother sneaking out in the middle of the night.

At this question, the king faltered, "Huh? Um…err…I can't really remember…I think I was unconscious at that time… I was kidnapped?" Atemu suggested; he really didn't want Mahado to start fussing about his attempt on escaping from the palace in search of Ryou...and he also didn't want to reveal the secret passage on the floor in one of the corridors that led to a secret exit; he supposed that keeping the passage a secret was enough to repay his debt to Bakura who had not killed him while he was unconscious.

"Hmm…funny, when I found you in the desert, you were wearing your rattiest and most ordinary-looking garments that I recognized from your cabinet instead of your majestic robes and you even had a few gold coins in your pocket…" The priest sneered, guessing that his pharaoh had tried to sneak out of the palace that night of the king's disappearance…

"Err… was all Atemu could say. "Wait. You've been through my belongings?" he asked as an after thought.

"Pharaoh, that's not the point, the point is you snuck out." Mahado replied, steering clear from the 'going through the pharaoh's belongings' issue that Atemu was headed to; the priest had once looked through the pharaoh's belongings back when Atemu was younger and had found that ratty old garment in the young prince's cabinet.

"You tried to sneak out that night before you disappeared didn't you sire?" Mahado suspected, crossing his arms and standing like a scolding parent…a few seconds of silence…

"Yes." Came the king's guilty reply.

"Pharaoh…you are required NOT to go on these little escapades…you took Seth along with you?" a pause for a thought… "Oh wait, no, you wouldn't do that…he caught you in the act and THEN you enticed him to go with you correct?"

"I just wanted to look for Ryou."

A sigh, "Pharaoh Atemu…my prince…I know how much you care for Ryou but please…you shouldn't have sneaked out." The priest spoke tenderly, addressing the pharaoh as 'prince' just like used to back when the young king was not crowned yet.

Deciding to just go with Mahado's sneaking out theory instead of having to explain the whole 'going to the future and being with the king of thieves thing' as well, Atemu simply nodded and apologized for sneaking out of the palace…promising that he would never try it again.

Necro: Man…I never thought that this fic would be so confusing…Agh! Well…that's just me…I want to confuse others but end up confusing myself sometimes.

Note: Ok again, I want to remind you guys NAMU IS THE ADULT AND NAM IS THE KID FROM THE MARKET PLACE. There's a difference between the two, the one with the 'U' in the end is the adult got it?

I just got Seth to use the name 'Seto' instead of 'Seth' since this is Namu we're talking about. I know that I still used the name 'Seth' back when the fake Bakura's gang captured the Ryou and the others but just think of those thieves as guys who aren't as well informed as Namu. To Seth and Ryou, Namu seems like the type of guy who has more to him than what meets the eyes so that's why I got Seth to call himself 'Seto' so he won't think he's exposing himself or something like that.

In the latter part of this chapter, you'll notice that I've mentioned the millennium puzzle. It's like this; Atemu never wears the puzzle in fear of enticing the thief king to attack but after Atemu disappeared from Egypt, Mahado suggested that Atemu should wear the puzzle so he could protect himself even though doing such a thing could entice the thief king to attack. I sort of made Atemu not have an item in the beginning parts of this story so that he wouldn't interfere much in those past Seth vs. Bakura scenes.

Ok…do I have to remind people to do this in every chapter I make/friend nods/ fine…

**R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/

Man…the next thing I know I'll be doing this with pompoms like a cheerleader. /friend grins evilly at me/ no! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW **THE GAME **my other fic OK?

Review The Game…**please**….

Yeah, I know…I'm desperate…

But I am not pressuring you k?

**Oh…and…I'VE DECIDED TO MAKE AN ALTERNATIVE B/R ENDING**

**SO…yeah, this fic's gonna have 2 endings, one S/R and the other alternative B/R**


	19. The Ishtal Home

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: If I owned YuGiOh I wouldn't be here writing fics…I'd be making all sorts of YuGiOh episodes and would be forcing several T.V. stations to play them over and over again like a marathon/insert evil cackle/

Note: The beginning parts of this chapter takes place at Namu's house where Ryou and Seth were going to spend the night since as you've read; they didn't want to go to the palace just yet because they wanted to know a bit more about Namu and his being an Ishtal and because it would be dangerous to walk in the streets at night with all those thieves in the area.

I know that in the series the Ishtal clan lived underground for thousands of years to guard the rod and necklace or something but the time frame of this fic is back when the Ishtals were not guarding the 2 Millennium Items yet so Namu pretty much lives like an ordinary Egyptian here ok.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 18 The Ishtal Home

That late desert night, Ryou and Seth who had been going by the name of 'Seto' to fool Namu stayed at Namu's home for the night since they wanted to know more about the Ishtal. The Ishtal's home was simple like all the other Egyptian houses with an upper and lower floor, basic stonewalls and all the basic necessities used by Egyptians. Upon arriving at the blond Egyptian's home, the guests immediately recognized the young tanned figure sitting tiredly at a corner, probably waiting for the adult Ishtal to arrive home.

It was Nam, the kid whom Ryou and Seth recently met at the market place back when the priest had taken the white blond shopping. This time, Ryou could clearly see that the young boy had dark black hair like most Egyptians, this he did not notice before since he had only seen the young Egyptian wearing a turban.

The young Nam had a rather drowsy look on his face but quickly it was replaced with an excited look as his adoptive father stepped into view. "Father!" he hollered in glee, rushing to the older Ishtal and giving him a nice bear hug. Upon noticing the other two figures standing behind his father, Nam drew back and faced the strangers whom he recognized as the 'siblings' from that day in the market place; apparently, Nam had really thought that Seth was Ryou's brother.

The moment Seth saw the young boy whom he and Ryou had met at the market place before, he silently held onto his millennium rod, which was hidden underneath the cloak he was wearing and used it on Nam without drawing the attention of the older Ishtal. The young boy was about to speak about having already met the two siblings but suddenly came to a halt as the millennium rod secretly and undetectably pried and altered his thought; Seth made sure that the young boy would not mention to his father that 'Seto' was high priest Seth.

"Ryou! Ryou from the market place right?" the young boy beamed, grinning at the foreigner.

"Nam! So good to see you again!" the white blond smiled as the young Egyptian took his hand and led him and the priest into the Egyptian home.

"You've met my son before?" Namu raised a brow, closing the door behind him.

The priest nodded, "At the market place, Ryou and I were lost and he was of assistance to us." He lied, not mentioning anything about their encounter with Bakura.

"Ah, I see, I suppose there's no need for introductions then." The older Ishtal nodded in understanding, "Nam, why don't you lead our guests to their room."

"Ok." Nam replied cheerfully, leading the two to another room.

They headed upstairs and were led to a nice room, average in size but acceptable nonetheless with a beautiful view of the Egyptian city at night. The room wasn't much actually, it simply consisted of a single but large enough bed by the wall, a window, a table and ordinary stuff that weren't much of value unlike the palace ornaments Seth and Ryou had been accustomed to.

As the young Egyptian boy exited the two teens' room upon being called upon by his father downstairs, Seth spoke, "Which would you prefer, the left or right?" he said almost tenderly…ALMOST being the keyword to the statement; the priest STILL had his stoic act up but…one must admit that he WAS getting soft.

"What?"

"Which side of the bed do you want to occupy? The left that's nearest to the window or the right which is against the wall?" the priest clarified calmly, walking towards the window.

"Um…I'm fine with any side." Ryou replied, courteously.

"Well…I want you to sleep in a comfortable position."

"No, really…I'm fine, but thank you for the offer." Smiled the teen.

After a few moments of silence between the two, just outside the room, Nam was already crouching by the door and eavesdropping; right after he had exited the room, he went downstairs upon being called upon by his adoptive father who had actually asked him to spy on the two teens to see if there was any information about Bakura then swiftly but stealthily the boy rushed back upstairs to eavesdrop on the said teens.

"Very well…I'll sleep against the wall." The priest decided, heading towards the bed and settling himself at the corner of the bed that was pressed up against the wall. That side was actually the less comfortable side because it seemed stuffy and the wall wasn't actually too smooth since it was rather jagged.

"If that's what you want…but wouldn't you be a little uncomfortable with your position?" Ryou replied.

"Against the wall?"

A nod, "I mean…I really wouldn't want you to suffer from back pains or a stiff neck, perhaps…you might scrape your elbows on that harsh wall too…" the pale teen spoke with concern, pointing out how uncomfortable it would be to sleep with one's back against a craggy wall.

"I'll be fine." Came the brunette's reply.

"No really, that position doesn't seem right…you don't have to sleep uncomfortably because of me."

"I'll just face the wall then so my back won't rub against the surface."

"Maybe I should just settle in that position, I don't like it when the moonlight strikes my closed eyelids…it makes it hard for me to relax."

"Or you could simply still take up the left side but you just face the wall."

"So we'd both be facing the wall?"

"If you really find the moonlight's luminance against your closed eyes really uncomfortable I suppose."

Getting a little confused with the two guests rather senseless drabbles, the young Ishtal got bored and stopped his spying then went back downstairs to report what normal stuff he had heard. As soon as the young boy stepped into the room downstairs that his father was occupying, the adult Ishtal immediately perked up to listen.

"Well? Anything? Any important information?" Namu inquired, slightly rising from his chair.

The young boy shook his head no and took a seat beside his adoptive father. "Their conversation was…" he trailed off.

"Was?"

"…Err" the kid searched for the right words "…senseless?"

"Senseless?" the blond raised a brow, "What exactly did they converse about son? Any political secrets?"

"Just unimportant stuff…" Nam replied blankly, raising then dropping down his shoulders as he shrugged…slightly guilty at not listening throughout the whole conversation between the two guests since he was supposed to listen to EVERYTHING. At this Namu crossed his arms and gave out a 'spill it' look though not necessarily looking like a scolding parent…just a rather questioning one.

"Ok, ok…" a pause, "They were just…talking about their positions in bed or something like that, that's all." He explained, vaguely recalling the…confusing conversation.

"Positions in bed?" Namu swallowed as he responded with a blush slightly showing, thinking about…ehem…something.

A nod, "just some useless babble, you know blah, blah, blah against the wall…err…blah, blah comfortable positions…blah…muscle pains, stiff necks…stuff…blah, blah rough…I didn't really understand much of what they were talking about though." After a few moments of awkward silence the child spoke once more "Err…I'm going to bed, goodnight father!" with that he left the room, leaving behind a rather…disturbed and flushed parent whose head was filled with thoughts and images of rather unsettling activities of two certain guests…In short, the older Ishtal was thinking that the two teens upstairs were 'getting it on'…and in HIS house of all places!

Upstairs, the two guests were about to end their discussion with Seth's suggestion. "I'll just sleep on the floor, you use the bed." He said in a voice of finality, settling himself on the floor beside the bed. Taking an extra cushion from the pile on the bed, he dropped down and lay on the cold floor, looking up at the ceiling.

"S-Seth! I can't let you sleep on the floor!" The other teen responded incredulously.

"I'm fine with sleeping this way, you may use the bed for yourself." The priest replied, shifting his position a bit.

"But still, it's awfully nice of you to offer me the bed but there is space on it for us to share." Ryou politely urged.

"I wouldn't be comfortable if you weren't and besides, the pharaoh would strongly disapprove if I were to lay on the same bed as you before he has done so." Seth replied with a smirk, his words holding a double meaning that Ryou clearly understood.

A blush at the thought of sleeping with the pharaoh, "Well…I just don't want you to sleep there ok." Ryou urged on.

"The pharaoh would most likely prefer me to sleep here on the floor for your comfort." The priest blankly replied.

"You act as if he's here in this very room ordering you to do so." Ryou spoke, sitting on the edge of the now roomy bed.

"It's my duty as a priest to see to the pharaoh's wishes…and he would most definitely NOT wish for me to sleep with you."

"I just…you on the floor? You don't deserve to." With a guilty look the teen spoke.

"Pharaoh's wishes Ryou, pharaoh's wishes." Seth spoke nonchalantly with a sigh.

"But."

"It's what the pharaoh would want…and what I would prefer as well…now rest, we have tomorrow to face."

"Seth-"

"Pleasant dreams." With that the priest looked away and slept, one arm under his head and the other grasping the Millennium Rod underneath his cloaked robes, which he slept in.

Before the soft-spoken youth could retort, the young priest was already fast asleep, weary from the strenuous events earlier that day. Still reluctant, Ryou laid on the bed all alone, looking down at the priest who slept soundlessly without any movement beside his bed.

"Goodnight and thank you I suppose." He whispered reluctantly, closing his doe eyes and welcoming the spell of slumber.

That night's hours passed by in agonizing stillness for the young Ryou who still could not fall asleep no matter how hard he tried due to his worrying nature and guilt; he really didn't want Seth to slumber on the floor, sleeping like dog whose sole purpose was to serve the master and only that.

Seth…was his friend not just a protector, not just a chess piece that the pharaoh lent to him to order around and use as a guard…the priest was more than a guardian… If the emotion the young pale teen felt was not love for the brunette then it most certainly would be compassion and care. Though still confused, it didn't matter if he were to treat Seth as a potential lover or friend…he always showed compassion to those he knew even back at Domino.

A potential lover…did he really think of Seth that way? Those rare heart-felt moments they had of course, that's why. The priest was…a man of stony facades who would never show emotion…he was a man who was intent on hiding smiles and laughs…unlike Bakura who would once in a while open up, Seth was the type to never open up to anyone whether there were any witnesses or none…it was simply harder for him to do so.

Come to think of it...the priest had been opening up to the young white blond all along with his vague but present shows of worry and relief on several occasions. Oh, if only Ryou knew that the man he had long adored loved him so…

Slowly, Ryou was noticing all the aspects of the Millennium Item bearer…only then did he realize that Seth was more open to him than to anybody else…Seth was and could be…a potential lover. But what if Ryou's thoughts on Seth's treatment of him were wrong? What if those kind gestures that seeped through the iron walls of the brunette's barriers were only signs of brotherly love…not that of romantic love?

After all…Ryou was simply weak for a man who would not tolerate weakness…right? Perhaps.

Shifting his position, Ryou turned towards the direction of his friend and looked down at him for a moment, once again admiring the high official's stunning features like a crushing schoolgirl. After which, he sat up and looked around his bed, not being able to find an extra blanket he wanted to drape over the slumbering priest's form.

Getting up completely at that late night, Ryou opted to saunter towards Seth's side as quiet as a mouse and stand beside the priest, bringing along an extra cushion for himself and his blanket to share with Seth.

However, the moment Ryou's feet touched the cold floor, the sleeping priest's hand immediately grabbed hold of one of Ryou's ankles, making Ryou topple over, face first on the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" Seth asked a bit groggily, having awakened from his sleep.

"Nowhere…Ow…"Ryou replied, dusting himself off then sitting cross-legged beside Seth while rubbing his chin.

The brunette noticed the pale teen wincing a bit and asked, "Are you all right? I didn't pull your ankle too hard did I?" Seth spoke off handedly…Ah…there it was again, the compassion from the man with a stony facade…err…mixed with brusqueness.

"I'm fine." Dry and pained laugh, "my chin broke the fall." Ryou muttered a bit in sarcasm then spread out his blanket over himself and the priest.

"What are you doing?" Seth asked, sitting up with a raised brow.

"Sleeping beside you of course." The white blond replied cheerily.

"And why may I ask?"

"I felt bad letting you sleep on the floor." Ryou replied. Seth was about to speak but Ryou beat him to it, "And I promise that not a word about this will get to Atemu…there." he ended with a triumphant smile.

An exasperated sigh, "my, you are stubborn."

"I know, so…are you going to sleep on the bed or do I have to make the guilt of having me sleep on the floor with you do its wonders?" Ryou grinned sheepishly in triumph.

Another exasperated sigh with a mix of amusement in a form of a slight scowl from the priest, "Very well." With that they both stood up and laid together on the bed, side by side, sharing a blanket for warmth and facing each other with silent contentment, not even caring about who settled in which side of the bed…they just laid there peacefully…eventually slipping into blissful sleep.

And as they lay there, dreaming in their slumber, they failed to notice how their arms seemed to move to their own accord and reach out for one another…seeking out the other's presence for warmth and for Ryou, security.

Necro: Hah! Done! In your face you stupid daily planner! IN YOUR FACE/glaring at daily planner sprawled out on a bed that says 'no fan fic writing for a month due to crafts'/ HAH! I finished a chapter! Even though I was busy/singing in singsong voice/

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone about the lack of improvement in my writing style…I've been so accustomed to it and its errors that I still haven't gotten the hang of writing a story by using the basic rules of writing. My style's a bit…ok, a lot more different than normal styles in books…but hey, I'm an amateur so don't blame me!

I'd also like to thank those who've been so forgiving about the extremely annoying and error-filled sentences in my story…yeah, thanks guys for being so patient with my many flaws.

/Takes out tape recorder/ TAPE RECORDER: **R – E – V – I – E – W **put it all together and what does it say? REVIEW, do it, It makes authors happy /grin/

/pulls out flyer/** REVIEW THE GAME!**


	20. Sneaking Out and Sneaking In

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Due to the fact that I do not have a high-paying job or a money-accumulating business, I have not purchased YuGiOh, which means I don't own it.

Necro: I've been trapped inside my room for 8 to 9 straight hours with no T.V. making this chapter and at the same time making a few alterations on my and my friend's daily planner so I can get my friend to update Destined Duel faster…so don't be surprised if this is a bit crappy.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 19 Sneaking Out and Sneaking In

Malik Ishtal shifted in his bed, eventually waking up to face another bright and new day ahead of him, another chapter of his teenage life. But as his eyes adjusted to the brightly lit room he jolted as he realized what strange twist took place in his life's journey.

"T-this…so I really was sent to ancient Egypt." He contemplated to himself as he realized he was in ancient Egypt, sitting up and giving out a yawn. After a brief pause the young Egyptian rushed out of the room, not even caring if he ad just woken up and was still ruffled. Running urgently through various empty hallways, Malik found himself bumping into Mana for the second time.

"Sorry." He apologized quickly, dusting himself off then tried to dash off again.

"Wait Malik, what's so important that you're running around palace grounds so early in the morning?" the female apprentice inquired, lightly grabbing hold of the guest's wrist to stop him from running.

"Where's Mahado? Has Seth turned up yet?" Malik frantically asked, clutching Mana's upper arms and practically shaking the life out of the young apprentice… poor girl, "You MUST tell me!" he continued to shake the girl like a soda.

"Let-go-of-me-first." Mana cried out comically, her vision spinning. The Ishtal released the girl as she continued to speak, "Thank you! Now then, follow me, I'm on my way to see the master anyways." With that, the female led Malik through various hallways.

Mahado was in his bedchamber as Mana had claimed, looking over several papyrus scrolls and quietly sitting by the window as rays of sunlight outlined his form. The two teens entered the vast and spacious bedchamber cautiously in respect, Malik straining to look at every inch of the room as his eyes looked over all the old scrolls and such haphazardly scattered everywhere. From the floor to the bed, papyri were carelessly strewn about…something Malik didn't expect to find in the room of someone as conformed as high priest Mahado.

Upon noticing his apprentice and the guest from the future enter his bedchamber, Mahado dropped whatever it was he was doing to tend to the two, "Ah, Malik, just woken up haven't we?" he spoke, rolling up some scrolls them placing it on the table.

"Seth! Any news about him?"

With a slight change in expression the priest replied, "No, I haven't received word of his whereabouts yet…but there is no need to distress" he gave out a brief yet reassuring smile, "he'll be fine. Now then, have you both eaten breakfast yet?"

Speaking of breakfast, at Ryou and Seth's side of the story, the two teens were at the Ishtal home, making their way downstairs to greet their hospitable host 'good morning'. The two teens were in a considerably good mood since they had emotionally bonded last night, both were more close to each other in a sense due to last night's conversation and Ryou's sweet gesture of offering to sleep on the floor with Seth.

Namu, having misinterpreted his son's report on the two teen's activities last night, blushed uncomfortably upon seeing his guests in such good moods as soon as the two entered the room…even the supposed to be mean and scary Seth did not look so terrifying.

"Good morning!" Ryou greeted enthusiastically to the two Ishtals as he and Seth made their way into the room.

"Good morning Ryou, I hope you've slept well." The younger Ishtal spoke with a smile while his father shivered and reddened once more at the thought of what his two guests had supposedly done last night.

They all ate their breakfast together, which consisted of some milk bread and a bit of meat, just an average breakfast that Seth wasn't so used to. Actually, some other poor children came in and ate as well since Namu, whenever he was around, would feed those starving children. The Ishtal was, after all, a very charitable person…in fact, he'd feed those kids everyday if he had enough money to spare, sadly he didn't so those children ended up eating by stealing and other means just as Ryou found Nam was doing so before upon their first encounter with each other. Seth, being used to the palace's standards would sometimes cringe unconsciously but seeing as he had to keep his tastes down to play the part of a normal Egyptian accompanying Ryou, he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the 'distasteful' meal, as he so eloquently referred to it in his mind.

Lucky there was a very scrumptious-looking Ryou beside him to keep his appetite up…

As they ate, Namu had just noticed their shortage of bread so he sent Nam on a short errand to go to the market place, which was nearby to buy some bread. Obediently, the young Ishtal, after being given some coins, left to get some more bread, leaving the two guests to chat or otherwise with his father.

At the palace, Malik, Mana and Mahado had just finished their breakfast. The high priest went back to his other priestly duties, assigning Mana to entertain Malik. As soon as Mahado left the two alone, Malik immediately opted to leave the palace to personally search for Ryou; deep inside, he just couldn't stand to sit and wait for his friend to pop out of nowhere in front of him…he has to look for the white blond on his own…Oh and the mean priest too.

"Wait, you can't just leave like this and search for Ryou." Mana reasoned.

Malik had told Mana a part of what's been happening…about how the Ryou who's currently in the palace isn't the real one and how the real one was outside with Seth somewhere. One would think that Mana, being an apprentice to a high priest, would be suspicious as to why there was a fake Ryou…so Malik ended up explaining from the very start of things…about being in the past to make sure the prophecy goes on smoothly and etcetera and etcetera but of course, Malik had to keep some things secret like stuff about thief king Bakura for example and Mana didn't pester him into telling, knowing that it could change the outcome of the prophecy.

"But I have to! Ryou and Seth's out there somewhere, and knowing Ryou, he's probably in trouble." The Egyptian from the future replied. They were in Malik's assigned bedchambers and Malik was already double-checking on his belongings whether they were still in his backpack untouched or not.

"You're never going to be able to get out of here so easily." The female magician stated bluntly, at this, Malik turned to face her, "the guards stationed around this palace will surely spot you and you can't sneak past all of them." She smirked.

A reluctant sigh from the blond, "You're right…I wont be able to sneak out successfully on my own." Malik grinned and looked at Mana, "Unless…you decide to help me."

"Hmmm…help you escape so I can be punished by my master…tempting… but no…I can't allow myself to help you in what you're planning. I'm not even supposed to be talking so casually with you about your plan to escape!"

"Please Mana, just for an hour or two. I promise I'll come back here as soon as my time's up, I really feel that I have to do this…for all our sakes." Malik reasoned seriously, but seeing as his serious tone of voice didn't affect the magician girl the least bit, he tried a different approach, "Plus, you'll get to meet Ryou!" he added brightly.

At the mention of meeting another person from the future, especially one who has been the object of rumors and such within palace walls, Mana's face lightened and she agreed enthusiastically.

They grabbed some cloaks so that they could blend in with the market people and common masses, but mostly because Mana was wearing clothes that just screamed 'I'm from the palace!' and Malik had chosen to wear his usual vest and cargo pants from the future that morning. As decided, the apprentice aided Malik in sneaking out of the palace, becoming a distraction to the guards by asking them questions if necessary and pointing out short routes and passages Malik could use to get past the main hall where most of the guards were stationed.

"Yes! We're out! We're really, really out!" Malik chanted happily, they had just barely escaped from the palace and now Malik was practically jumping in triumph. Said celebration can be attributed to the fact that Malik and Mana had a lot and I mean A LOT of close calls…

Now, the duo was at the crowded market place, the same market place where Ryou and Seth had been to before and, coincidently, the same market place where Nam was currently running an errand from Namu.

Malik and Mana shuffled through the crowds, asking here and there about Ryou and Malik but their efforts were absolutely futile. As if on cue, Malik paused briefly from his walking and managed to catch a glimpse of a young boy who was looking directly back at him with a curios expression. The time-traveler merely dismissed this look of curiosity as a child's inquisitiveness. Still…the young boy looked at him as he made his way through the crowd…

After a brief word to Mana about splitting up to look for Ryou, Malik turned back and again saw the tanned youth who was carrying a bundle of bread still staring at him, only this time, the boy was much closer and within earshot…so annoying.

"What? Is there something on my face?" the blond suddenly questioned in an annoyed matter, his voice raised a bit, not being able to resist the urge to speak up.

Snapping suddenly back to reality, Nam shook his head 'no', "N-no! I'm sorry for…err." The youth replied shakily.

Softening up his slightly irritated expression, Malik replied a little nicer than when he first spoke up, ashamed for yelling at a kid, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Feeling a little more comfortable with the blond stranger, Nam smiled back, "I-I just…found your hair interesting…I meant no offense for staring," he explained.

"My hair? Oh…I guess it's only normal to stare at it since I doubt blonds to be common here."

"Malik." Mana interrupted, "C'mon, we have to look for Ryou." The magician spoke. Ryou? As in, Ryou the pale one whom the guards have been searching for? That Ryou? Were these two guards from the palace? Such thoughts raced in Nam's head.

"Are you, by any chance looking for the pharaoh's friend? That Ryou who is said to be from a foreign land?" Nam asked.

"Yes, that's whom we've been searching for." Mana replied. "And who might you be young one?"

"My name is Nam Ishtal." Ishtal? ISHTAL?

"Ishtal? Are you really an Ishtal?" Malik inquired, interested at the idea of meeting his ancestor from the past.

"Well…not by blood…my adoptive father gave me the name." Nam explained, "are you related to an Ishtal?" he looked up at Malik; in truth, the reason that he had been staring at Malik was that the blond resembled his adoptive father, with the eyes and the skin and especially the hair! But Nam had been doubtful since his adoptive father had never had a son by blood before or any blood relatives in that particular city.

'Adoptive father…must be that Ishtal ancestor of mine Bakura was talking about before back at Kaiba's place' the blond Egyptian thought mentally.

Steering away from the subject that could expose himself as a time-traveler and could alter the future, Malik changed the topic, "No" he lied smoothly, "But…please, do you have any information about Ryou…he's a dear friend of mine whom I'm quite worried for."

"Well I…" the boy faltered; he was hesitant to divulge any information incase the two were actually enemies.

"You DO have information on him don't you?" Mana accused the boy, noticing the change of air around the youth who had hesitated for a second to answer Malik's inquiry; the magician knew how to read people in a sense, how to tell if a person was lying or keeping something…it was, after all part of her training, or so her master had explained to her before.

"Please, Nam. Ryou's my friend and well…to prove that to you I…err." A pause to think, "Well, if I wasn't Ryou's friend, how would I know that he's with a man with brown hair and blue eyes and that you probably found Ryou in odd-looking clothes" he spoke, referring to the modern clothes that Ryou was sure to have been wearing upon being saved and hoping that Ryou WAS with Seth …it would simply be terrible if the two were separated during his absence.

"H-how did you know? Ryou hadn't even left home since we took him in!" Nam spluttered a little too quickly, slipping from his pretending to be ignorant about the whole situation

"Aha! You DO know where Ryou is! And by Ra he's still with Seth!" Malik spoke up.

"Though I wouldn't say that company with high priest Seth's much of a good thing." Mana added muttering softly so that no one would hear; the young magician had always been a little…against Seth because the man was always so cold.

"Alright, you've caught me…yes, I do know where the pale one whom you seek is. My father found him and his brown haired friend, though I don't know how. Father took them in last night and sheltered them from their persecutors for a night…they're currently at home eating breakfast. Actually, they're waiting for me to come home with this bread I have right now." The young Ishtal explained, "Since you're Ryou's friends I suppose I could take you to him."

"Thank you very much Nam" the blond thanked the boy, "My name's Malik by the way" Malik introduced himself briefly, smiling in relief that his friends were ok. Nam, carrying some bread, led the two to his home, which was nearby and the two followed the young Egyptian through crowded streets and busy shops.

At the palace, the thief king Bakura who was still pretending to be Ryou had just woken up and had exited his…Ryou's room. The thief walked on through the palace halls, storing the lefts and rights in his memory in case he ever needs the information in the future when the time comes for him to take his men to the palace and charge mercilessly at the pharaoh.

Though Bakura still had a grudge against the pharaoh of Egypt, he couldn't help but feel that he didn't need to kill Atemu…after all, Atemu really didn't directly attack his village…but all those lives lost…

He simply had to avenge those whom he lost in that terrible massacre…he just had to… But for now, while he still had Ryou as an excuse to put up a temporary truce with the pharaoh, he was going to spare the King's life…but only for now…only because of Ryou…

As the pale youth strolled through the corridors, he ran into Mahado who warmly greeted him 'good morning' thinking that Bakura was indeed Ryou.

"I trust that you've slept well." Said the priest, carrying with him a few pieces of papyrus scrolls as Bakura whom he thought was Ryou walked with him.

"I did." Bakura responded with a smile so similar to one that Ryou would give; it seems that even in ancient Egypt, Bakura's always been so good at pretending to be Ryou. "So, where are you headed off to?" he asked innocently.

"And why do you ask?"

"No reason…I just thought that…well, perhaps if you weren't too busy we could talk…" The pale teen replied just as Ryou would have, and then changed his expression from polite to a being a bit troubled one, "I-I want to talk to you about Seth…I'm really worried…he hasn't arrived yet hasn't he?" Bakura spoke in a sad tone.

"There is no need for you to fret Ryou. He is a high priest of the pharaoh's court, he'll be fine." The high priest reassured the white blond with a smile, which the young teen returned with sweetness.

"You're right…I shouldn't worry too much, I-I'm sure he's all right…but still…" Bakura's face saddened and he ceased to speak.

Mahado looked at the seemingly worried teen, feeling sorry for the person who was absolutely anxious to see Seth…then an idea came to his mind, "Ryou, why don't you accompany me? I'm on my way to a gathering with the other high priests to discuss about thief king Bakura's rumored involvement in the whole plot of Pharaoh Atemu's disappearance." He invited 'Ryou' who secretly inwardly smirked.

Eavesdropping…no, actually being there out in the open in one of the court's meetings…there could be plans, plots, secrets to be discussed that Bakura could absolutely feed on…all that information… such a golden opportunity.

"Really Mahado? Thank you very much, I could use with something to do today other than lie around in my bedchamber, being bored." Bakura thanked the high priest innocently and not too excitedly in fear of exposing his true identity.

"You are welcome" with that, the two proceeded through the halls that led to the chamber in which the gathering was to take place… 'It can't possibly hurt to have Ryou tag along can it?' the priest thought to himself, a bit unsure with the bold move he just made…'he is after all, not politically involved…'

Little did the high priest Mahado know, his minor invitation would have such dire consequences…

Necro: Ok...that does it for Chapter 19…I'm almost at the end people...Wahoo! Ya'll don't forget to review k! Love you all!

Oh and…I made the alternate BakuraRyou ending already so yeah, for sure you guys are going to have two endings: the SethRyou and alternative BakuraRyou, your pick!

AND…CHECK OUT **The Game**, my other fic if you have time. It's **KaibaRyou**


	21. Explanations

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh is not my property because I still haven't found a way to brainwash the world into thinking that it is.

Necro: Chapter 20 for you guys, right here! The end is near…Also, I'd like to apologize for this fic's deteriorating standards. Ryou Lover 4325 you're right, this IS starting to become a little messy and forced like a book report. I'll try to change that, sorry again…he he I'm just kind of tired.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 20 Explanations

Nam led Malik and Mana to his home to see Ryou and Seth who were still having breakfast with Nam's father Namu. Upon arriving at the front door of his home, Nam immediately called out to his father about their guests.

"Father! I'm back from the market place with some people." The child called out as he and the two teens from the market place headed towards where the older Ishtal was having breakfast.

Ryou was simply eating, chewing some bread and enjoying his meal when all of a sudden a pair of tanned arms circled around his neck for a crushing hug, "Ryou, finally, I found you!" Malik hollered, embracing the pale youth who was now choking.

When Malik finally let go of Ryou, the white blond looked up and smiled at finding his friend there, "Malik!" he said, "You found us and you're safe!"

"I'm glad we found you! I thought for sure you were in some deep trouble."

"We're fine, thanks to Mr. Ishtal…you haven't met him yet haven't you?" Ryou spoke, gesturing towards the older Ishtal who watched the scene with a peculiar look on his face; who were these people who barged in all of a sudden?

All throughout the scene, Seth remained quiet and observant while Mana spoke to Ryou; "So you're Ryou," she said, "so…Malik…I'm still a bit confused about all this…he's the real Ryou right?"

Malik nodded while everyone in the room listened, it was a serious moment and Namu listened carefully, curious to know the identity of the girl accompanying Malik really was, "Since you're the real Ryou…I forgot to ask, who's the Ryou back at the palace?" Mana asked, recalling that she had forgotten to ask about that small detail about the fake Ryou… who WAS the Ryou back at the palace if he wasn't the real one?

Upon hearing that a fake Ryou was in palace grounds, Seth immediately stood up, "Bakura! He's in the palace?" he spoke urgently, knowing that during their time together, Bakura had been stuck with a body duplicate to Ryou's…and who else could possibly pretend to be Ryou other than someone who's actually the white blond's twin?

"Ba…Kura? THE thief king Bakura? What's he got to do with the fake Ryou? I'm confused…Malik?" Mana replied as everyone turned to face Malik.

"Ok…ok, here's the truth. By some mystical power of the shadow realm…thief king Bakura's appearance has been altered into that of Ryou's…and well…he's at the palace pretending to be Ryou. As far as anyone there knows, Seth's the only one missing, thief king Bakura's somewhere else, Ryou is safe within palace grounds and the pharaoh's back in good hands." He explained.

"So…Bakura's pretending to be me?" Ryou spoke up.

"Yes, he is…why he's doing it, I don't know…sorry." Malik replied.

The information divulged seemed too much for them. It was absolutely confusing so everyone was silent for a while until Namu who had been the most silent amongst them spoke up, "All this talk of the palace and the thief king…I'm guessing that all these things you are talking about are of political significance." He said then looked at Mana, "You! I'm guessing that you are an apprentice or a novice…am I right?" he asked Mana in a straightforward manner in which Mana replied with a quiet 'yes'.

"Ah…I understand everything now…or at least, most of what is needed to be understood."

"Sir…you need not worry about our dilemma, it isn't of any great significance." Seth spoke, "Please, we ask you to forget about all you've heard…the pharaoh would most probably not wish to know that a civilian has heard and understood part of this…conversation."

"Ah yes…. of course, the pharaoh would not want such a thing…tell me, who are you again young man?" the older Ishtal asked Seth, knowing fully that the high priest was really a high priest.

There was an air of serious significance before Seth Spoke, "Tell me…how long have you known?" the priest questioned, this time, not hiding the authoritative tone he'd been so accustomed to using as a priest.

"Known that you were a priest pretending to be a commoner who coincidently bumped into the pharaoh's honored guest? Since the start high priest Seth, since the start. From the moment I saw you and the pale one alone in those tunnels…I knew."

While confrontations and explanations took place at the Ishtal home, at the palace, mayhem was about to stir. Mahado and the mirror image of Ryou, Bakura, walked through a pair of heavy double doors with guards standing by into a bright four-walled room that stretched forward at a long parallel line. The room was lit with the light from various torches as well as the natural sunlight from outside. At the very end of the room sat Pharaoh Atemu on his throne, looking regal and rested.

As the priest and the thief strolled towards where all the other priests were at, one could see that the room was designed for strategic meetings and discussions. Aligned along the walls near where the pharaoh sat supreme were blocks of sandstone and gravel chiseled to form plain seats similar to those in a Roman council.

The other priests sat at their respective places and Bakura could see such familiar political faces. There were a selected few from the crowd who had golden items too; these were the past bearers of the millennium items. Pharaoh Atemu himself had an item as well, which was an upside-down pyramid that hung loosely around the neck and on it was seemingly the eye of Horus or the like.

The pharaoh hadn't had the chance to glance at 'Ryou', he didn't even notice the teen there since he was too busy speaking and responding to those few advisers who discussed something with him for a moment before the actual meting.

So, Bakura just sat there quietly, waiting for the actual political discussions to start, he did notice though, a priest who seemed to be watching him peculiarly. Said priest had a millennium item too; the millennium eye, this priest sauntered towards Bakura and Mahado's side with that curious and suspicious look still plastered on his face as he approached closer to Bakura who was thinking how odd the priest was to be staring at him.

"I need to speak with you, " said the suspicious priest with the eye, not actually addressing Bakura but Mahado. Mahado nodded and excused himself before following his fellow priest to a secluded corner of the room.

When Mahado returned, he did not seem so nice and polite when he spoke to Ryou, "All right then…who are you?" he questioned Bakura in a tone that Seth would have been much likely to use. Noticing how Mahado suddenly changed character, everyone quieted down to watch, even the pharaoh.

Everyone kept silent and watched Mahado who stood before a completely relaxed Ryou sitting on one of the stone benches, "Who am I?" the white blond replied innocently, "I am Ryou. Why? Is something the matter?" he inquired politely, doing the perfect impersonation of Ryou.

"Don't spin your webs of lies to us you vile snake!" the priest who had spoken to Mahado spat venomously, "You are not the Ryou whom we know! Everyone, it has recently come to my knowledge…that we have an imposter in this room!" he bellowed, sneering at Bakura who sat there placidly.

Several gasps and angry expressions rose but no one made a move to attack yet; this was a delicate situation, "now, I ask you again, who are you?" Mahado questioned once more. Throughout this scene, Atemu merely sat quietly, internally debating with himself whether or not to free the imposter or have him executed… a crime such as spying on official meetings was punishable by death…Atemu knew that the fake was most probably Bakura, which was exactly why he wasn't so sure if he could have the man executed…

Bakura had been a useful ally during their encounter with that 'thief king' imposter at the desert…the pharaoh even guessed that it was probably Bakura who had plotted their escape plan… he at least owed the thief king a chance to be freed.

But…this was a criminal we're talking about, the king of thieves in fact…you can't just free a man like that can you? A man who wants to kill you?

'Ryou' had refused to acknowledge the fact that he was an imposter so the priests did what was needed; the millennium eye was used and so Bakura's thoughts were scanned…and revealed…

"YOU! You're…"

"Oh well…yes, I am. I am indeed…Bakura the thief king." The once innocent Ryou smirked evilly and laughed, taunting the inhabitants of the room.

"Quick, seal all the exits!" Mahado hollered, immediately the guards moved swiftly to close the double doors. Bakura, being fast on his toes darted through the room with such speed that the guards after him couldn't catch up.

He dodged and jumped overhead from soldier to soldier but got stricken down by one who had, by luck, struck his arm with a blade, leaving a deep slash there that constantly bled.

"Agh!" The thief slowed down for a second but resumed in his swift movements, clutching his arm in pain and finally escaping through one of the high windows by expertly jumping and using one of the guards' shoulders as a stepping stool to reach the top.

Amidst all the confusion Atemu sat there, struggling with himself whether or not to free the sneaky thief… he did owe Bakura for his services to Ryou…Ryou! Where was the real Ryou?

"Wait, stop that thief!" Atemu ordered but it was too late, the thief had fled and was now being chased by Mahado who led a considerable amount of troops to capture the villain.

"Prepare my chariot! I must go after that thief!" the pharaoh quickly got up from his seat but was stopped by his priests.

"Pharaoh, we cannot allow you! Drawing you out of the palace could be part of the thief king's plan to lure you into a trap he has set!" reasoned a female priestess.

"Please your highness, you must stay here for your safety!" pleaded another priest.

"But!" despite all his efforts and even his authority over his servants, Atemu had been forcibly locked up within palace walls. Though his priests did this to make sure he was safe and even though they sincerely apologized and vowed to punish themselves for going against the son of the gods Atemu felt…betrayed.

He was stuck in the Royal palace while Mahado was out there chasing after Bakura and while the real Ryou was out there, probably with Seth guarding him instead of him…why did it have to be so hard to do your job as a suitor to a person you love? And why did he have to be locked up!

Back at the Ishtal home, the exact moment when the soldier's blade struck Bakura's arm, Ryou winced in pain and whimpered, _"Agh!"_ he heard in his mind, through the link he and Bakura shared.

"Ow! My arm! It hurts!" Ryou immediately clutched the spot where his arm ached because of his connection to Bakura.

"Ryou? What's wrong?" Seth questioned.

"It…it's Bakura…he's hurt." Ryou replied… then, in his mind, he saw images.

Bakura fleeing from the palace as soldiers go after him…Bakura stealing away one of the palace's horses…Bakura riding towards the edge of town as fast as he could through the streets, causing havoc while the guards gain after him…Bakura and a trail of soldiers outside town…

_Soldiers…with weapons, after Bakura and…Mahado's leading them!_

Ryou snapped out of the vision, Bakura was in trouble, "Bakura! There's a dozen or more soldiers after him and Mahado's leading them!" he said in a hurry, worried about what conflict was about to take place outside of town.

"Bakura? We have to help him!" said Malik, confusing Namu and Mana about whose alliance he was with, the pharaoh or the thief king? "Where is he Ryou?"

"Somewhere west of the city, just a short distance away from a shrine of some sort" answered the pale teen.

"Let's go!" with that, Malik and the others except for the other two Ishtals exited the house in a hurry to get to where Bakura was.

Once the group of teens was gone, Namu's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke to his son, "Nam, alert the others at the tavern…tell them that we've found Bakura and that he's being chased by the pharaoh's men outside of town. Gather our best fighters…we cannot let Bakura die!" with that, the young boy scurried out of the house to send out the order to those loyal to the thief king while his father sat there alone in the house, quietly contemplating about his friend.

"Bakura…what a hitch you've gotten yourself into," he muttered to himself, chuckling softly due to worry…

At the palace the pharaoh had no choice but to stay within the protection of his guards for he had not been allowed to leave the premises so as to keep him safe. Atemu grudgingly strolled throughout the hallways with an extremely angered expression, how could he find his loved one if he was stuck in the palace?

With nothing else to do, the tri color haired teen walked off to go to Ryou's room to at least bask in the scent or any tinge of Ryou's presence that was left in the room.

Upon entering the room, Atemu immediately caught sight of Ryou's belongings on a table. He sauntered towards the foreign objects and rummaged through them, finding a notebook with odd blue-inked words scribbled in its pages; this was actually Ryou's journal about Ancient Egypt that he had written upon first appearing at the palace.

Had Atemu understood the symbols used in what Ryou had written, he would have wept… for in those pages were nothing but longing thoughts for Seth…thoughts of adoration and such strong emotions that would have broken Atemu's heart if he knew that the one he so adored…actually adored his priest.

Long and hard, the pharaoh stared at the pages, desperately trying to understand what his love had written…he kept on wondering if it was about him or if it had anything about love or that sort…oh if only he knew…

A white kitten with blue eyes nuzzled against the king's leg, drawing the attention of the pharaoh. "Hello there little one." Atemu spoke, picking up the kitten, which he knew was Ryou's…for at this moment, he cherished everything Ryou owned and touched.

The kitten merely 'meowed' in response, pawing the hand that held it tenderly, "Oh how I wish to see your master…you must miss him too don't you?" the king asked the cat, having no other companion to talk to.

As if the animal understood, it gave a somewhat agreeing 'meow'…it even seemed to sadly smile… "I can do nothing but…pray for the safety of Ryou… it makes me weep to know that…I can never give him as much attention as I would wish to give him…." The king spoke almost to himself softly.

"Had I been a priest or an apprentice or even just a commoner…I would have lavished Ryou with my attention and love. Though I may only give him water instead of fruit and wine…I would much rather that than be chained solely to my duties…"

A 'meow' of understanding…

"It's sad…I'm the son of the gods yet…I cannot even protect and nurture the one whom I love…Oh Ra, in a way you've damned me with my royal blood! For I cannot even stake it for my love!"

In that room…the pharaoh merely wept in anguish…his love for Ryou burned like poison in his veins…and he could do nothing to let it out and fulfill his heart's wish…

Necro: The last part was a filler mainly because I saw that this was a short chapter and that I totally forgot about the stuff Ryou left behind at the palace…so yeah, I made Atemu go through Ryou's stuff just for the sake of making this longer…hope you all don't mind.

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P.S if you like S.Kaiba/Ryou, go check out my other fic **The Game**.


	22. Bloodshed

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: YuGiOh is not mine because…well…just BECAUSE!

Necro: I'm not going into too much detail about the battle ok since this fic is only rated T…so don't expect too much in Mahado and Bakura's fight.

I really felt bad about making that last part with Atemu in the last chapter, I feel sorry for him since he doesn't get an alternative ending…sob, sorry. But I'm glad you guys liked that stuff I made.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 21 Bloodshed

It was…a horrible sight…bodies were strewn about here and there…and so much blood had been spilt. Why, even Ryou who believed Bakura to be a man who still had some good in his heart would think that only a beast could leave such barbaric remnants of battle.

There, west of the outskirts of the city and just a short distance away from a shrine, was a battle so fiercely fought between Mahado's troops and the sole enemy, Bakura.

Alone, Bakura had already slain a third of Mahado's troops with only a spear he had taken from a fallen soldier. In fear, one or two of his opponents rushed back to the palace to bring in more troops in hopes of overpowering the thief king. And all the while Bakura fought; inch-by-inch he could feel his energy to fight drain away. The heat of the desert sun was taking its toll on him and the sandy turf proved it difficult for him to escape by foot since the horse he had ridden earlier had been brutally killed in battle.

Even Mahado, who was a priest of magic not a warrior of swords had been forced to take matters into his own hands for the thief he was to apprehend was sly and resourceful and could easily dodge thrown spears and could shield himself by hiding behind one of Mahado's wounded but still breathing comrades.

But alas, even his efforts to fight against Bakura were not enough…for early in the battle before the priest could use his magic, Mahado had been struck with a deadly blow to the stomach, a sword had been plunged deep into him by Bakura…blood came spewing out afterwards…and life drained out of him as his blood began to flow and taint the sand.

And from a far, within the royal palace, the pharaoh unconsciously felt the loss of a great man who had been his most trusted and loyal priest and friend. Pharaoh Atemu did not need to wait for the news to reach him by mouth, he felt it…the sudden disappearance of Mahado's being…and yet he could also feel, deep within his mind and heart, the priest vowing eternal loyalty to him…

This vow was the seed from which the Dark Magician came into significance to the pharaoh…he would cherish this monster as he had cherished Mahado…for in this creature was Mahado's soul and being…forever ready to serve the pharaoh.

Bakura had killed Mahado in battle…and Mahado had vowed to protect his king…as the Dark Magician.

Ryou and the others arrived at the spot near a shrine where Bakura was supposed to be fighting the royal guards and Mahado…but upon arriving, all that the pale youth could find was a single figure left standing amidst a dozen fallen men…it seems that the fight had been long over…and Bakura was the victor…or was he?

"Agh…" the sole survivor gasped suddenly as the pain of his injuries began to surface head on. Bakura had not escaped capture without injury; he was literally covered in blood, mostly his own blood, from the wounds and gashes that his enemies had been able to inflict on him. He could barely stand…and could barely continue breathing, his cuts were too deep and he felt a sudden ache from his skull where he had been struck with a fatal blow from the hilt of a sword during the fight.

He knew he was going to die in a matter of minutes…with all the blood he lost he couldn't hope to be able to live any longer…he was on his way to see Anubis…

Oh well…he smirked mostly to himself because of his doomed fate…at least he had a little souvenir taken from Mahado…

Around his dead body's neck would be the millennium ring…his trophy for defying the law.

"Bakura!" came the panicked cries of Ryou…though Bakura could only faintly hear it…he did not even notice that he had fallen down and was in Ryou's arms, gasping and squinting from the bright light of the sun…or was it the vision of death?

"Seth, quick! You have to help him! Close up his wounds! Please!" Ryou begged hysterically…he did not want to lose anyone…no more death.

"I can't…he has lost too much blood already…he's dying Ryou…he's on his way and we can't do anything to help him." Came Seth's pained response, which was odd…for some time, the priest had actually thought differently about the thief…the villain wasn't so bad.

Though everyone else was down on their knees beside the dying thief king, Mana stood by her master's lifeless body…silent tears streaming down her cheeks… She just stood there, apart from everyone else just staring blankly at her master…feeling numb like a statue for the shock must have hit her hard…she didn't even notice the silhouettes of thieves slowly heading towards their spot…

"Bakura…please don't die…" Ryou sobbed, gingerly holding the dying man's bloody hand…oh how frail those fingers felt when before they were so strong and powerful.

"Ryou…" Bakura gasped, "These hands have taken…so much more than what they deserve… I've been…so bitter because of my anguished past…" and it was true too…

"Please Bakura…don't speak of such…you'll be all right…" then came the tears…

A sad smile, "Ryou…I've always feared that no one would weep for my death…I'm glad that you would, but please…don't…I don't want to see you so stricken…" all that Ryou could reply to that was to shed another tear.

"Ryou…this is not goodbye…for as you've told me before, I am your Yami…I am to be a part of you…my death is nothing but a stepping stone, for I am…your dark, your other."

And then, just like that he was gone…there was no need for further drama, Bakura wouldn't have liked that…and so silent tears streamed…dead eyes looked up at Ra with an expression of painful pride…

Sullen from the loss of a great comrade they all bowed their heads in respect and said their 'goodbyes', tears were shed…but that was it. There would be no grand burial…there would be no extravagant speeches of how the great Bakura did this and how the great Bakura did that…

Because everyone knew…who the great Bakura was…he was no simple thief, no petty scoundrel…he may have been known as the 'Thief King' but he was also an honorable man despite the crime-filled life he'd lived.

Seth knew this; Bakura was a formidable and prominent foe…an ally with tactics so sly and witty…the man would have made a pretty good high priest had he been on the pharaoh's side instead of the opposite.

Sounds of hooves thundering against the sands reached the weeping trio's ears, and from a distance they could see that all around them were warriors bearing weapons of different sizes. From behind the teenagers were clusters of neatly arranged authorities, swords and horses and all, prepared to fight the enemies…they were the pharaoh's men.

And from another side…one could see, a small battalion of fearsome thieves twirling their many daggers and preparing their poison-dipped darts. All of them were ready and were there by the command of Namu Ishtal. Unbeknownst among them, they did not know that their beloved Thief King was long dead…

A vulture flew past the vast area of sand…across the guards with their horses, spearmen and archers…over the dead bodies where a small group of teens stood, fearing for the worst…and then across the many ruffians, most of whom were poverty stricken but seemed built to kill.

Silence ensued…and then, the sound of the distant vulture's call came…signaling the start of the battle cries and the clashing of blades.

"RUN!" Seth shouted frantically, roughly pulling up a kneeling Ryou and leading the way.

Malik and Ryou obediently followed…but Mana did not move, "Mana!" called out Malik, "Mana! Come on! You're going to get yourself killed!" but Mana would not follow. With tears in her eyes, she moved her gaze from her master's corpse to Malik and said, "I am bound by my duty…my master is dead, and I find myself in such a predicament Malik…who will teach me?"

"Please Mana…you can't let this death bring you along with it…Ma-" Malik tried to reason…but it was too late. The apprentice walked away and joined the battle…her figure disappearing as a gust blew.

"May Ra smile upon your soul" were Malik's parting words as he headed towards Seth and Ryou's direction; Mahado and Mana were destined to die, why else would they gradually become the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl?

The course of battle was expanding and Malik tried desperately to get as far from it as he could…but he was too slow, somehow the sloping sands made it difficult to catch up with his two companions who were a good deal ahead of him. The fight seemed to draw in the young teen, though he fought only to defend himself…and perhaps find a way to flee towards his friends.

As Seth and Ryou continued to flee from the gruesome sight of soldiers clashing with foes, they failed to notice the absence of Malik behind them until finally, a loud shriek of pain from their friend caught their attention.

"Malik!" without a second thought, Ryou darted back towards his injured friend, plunging into the very center of the conflict where Malik clutched painfully at a wound on his arm.

"Ryou!" the high priest followed suit, dodging flying spears as he made his way to the two time-travelers.

Then came a gasp from Seth…and a pained look in his eyes; he knew he was injured but that didn't matter now…all that mattered was that the other two were safe…that Ryou was safe. With even more fervor the priest made his way towards the pair…covered in soot and blood and dried tears…

"We must flee…" Seth spoke…weakly, "NOW!" this time he urged on with more power, drawing in a deep gasp after yelling.

They fled from the bloodbath, though with a few cuts and bruises and a wound or two…but they were safe nonetheless, thanks to Seth's strategic thinking and quick action. The trio took refuge at the nearby shrine Ryou had mentioned earlier since the battle hadn't reached that point…

Gasping and breathing hard, injured and bloody with torn garments, the three made it in one piece to the temple…though unfortunately for them, no one was there, the temple being newly built and finished very recently…there were probably no priests nor sages appointed to that temple yet.

Now that they were a good distance away from all the fighting…the clashing sound of weapons seemed almost rhythmic, hypnotic…as if it were nature's own little joke, the gods' requiem for those who died…or were dying.

For Bakura…

For Mahado…

For Mana…

Yes…the cries of pain and anguished souls, sounding more like hymns that priests orate to give tribute to the gods…Anubis will descend upon this place later…

In a traumatized daze, the three survivors looked on, knowing that they would have to move soon lest they be once again engulfed by that dreadful massacre just a hill of sand or two away from where they sat.

They would have to move on…to safety and continue to survive just as they had survived those few moments ago…

The grief they felt for Bakura…Mahado and Mana…that'll have to wait… for the grieving may be done later when all is clear and still…when the blades cease to strike and the spilt blood becomes dry.

It was…a day filled with death thought Seth…so much lost in such a short period of time…was it not earlier that morning that he and Ryou were eating breakfast together, contented and satiated by the food in their bellies?

Shadow…cast itself upon Seth's vision…

Pain welled up in his chest…

"Ryou…" came the high priest's voice, weak…frail…fading.

The white blond turned his head towards the priest, traces of dry tears still apparent on his pale soot-covered cheeks… "Seth?" he replied in a tone of distress…no…don't leave.

The priest's face seemed to soften…his features looking relaxed and unguarded, expression open and free… They were squatting there on the floor, beside each other…looking intently at each other's eyes, reading, memorizing every detail as if to make everything still and lasting.

"Ryou…let me kiss you…" Seth requested…there was no malice, no authority…just a simple and modest request…oh such frailty from Seth scared Ryou.

"Seth…what are you…why are you…?" a whimper, "please don't tell me you're…"

"Dying? Yes…"

"Dying of poison…" came Malik's grim answer…his saddened lavender eyes wandered to Seth's back, leading Ryou's gaze towards the bleeding gash there, caused by a deadly and poisonous dart…it was bleeding profusely, crimson liquid mixed with a somewhat eerie violet sap…

"Scorpion venom…a lot of it too…" the blond explained, "Seth…you have five minutes judging from the amount of the poison in your system."

"Why are we just sitting here? WE HAVE TO GO!" Ryou cried out desperately in an attempt to save the brunette…he really didn't want to lose anyone anymore, "Why have we been sitting here stupidly…why didn't you tell me sooner Malik?" by now, Ryou was sobbing freely, glaring at Malik.

"Because I knew that there would be no hope…we're too far from the city, Seth's too weak to walk on and the distance itself will make the poison circulate through his body faster." Malik answered, "…don't you see…we've been resting here to buy Seth some few precious minutes to live."

"But still…" Ryou stubbornly continued on.

"Shhh…Ryou, no more…" the dying man spoke. Gracefully, weakening hands cupped the angelic teen's face…tears fell once again from those innocent chocolate orbs…

"Grant me my request Ryou…let me kiss you before the blood in my mouth becomes poisoned as well." Gently, the priest wiped away those grieving tears…lips met with lips.

All which was locked deep inside was released…the longing, the hunger, the desperate inward pleas to the gods. Feverishly, the two kissed…tasting, exploring…moaning in both delight and despair at the pleasurable touch and the knowledge that this touch would be the last.

They pulled away…finally gasping for the breath which we all need…Ryou could've laughed if he wasn't so scared…he could've laughed joyously and giggled in frenzied glee had this kiss ensued in a less complicated setting.

The day that he finally gets to kiss high priest Seth is the day that Seth dies…slowly.

Again, Ryou wept…knowing full well that this priest, whom he had just kissed, would be taken from him…

Necro: Don't ask me how this chapter turned out this way…I was feeling sappy and emotional…damn drama films.

**Don't forget to review this fic…ya'll like it, review it…ya'll hate it…well…bury me.**

**Oh and check out my other fic **THE GAME

And another fic of mine that's experimental, it's called **VENETIAN ROMANCE** and it's also **Seto Kaiba X Ryou Bakura**. It's an experimental romance fic set in Venice during the 1700s. The writing style is much more intricate and it's different. Please check it out if you're interested.


	23. Love You Forever

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I did not create YuGiOh because we all know that I'm not smart enough to think of something as great as the said anime.

Necro: Here we are my friends…the ending chapter to my fic. But there's still the alternative ending coming after this k, it'll be posted in less than2 days. Oh and I'm really sorry for killing off Bakura in the last chap and yes Mana eventually died in battle.

IMPORTANT: I feel so bad for 'disappointing and giving false hope' to **ressescupprincess** who reviewed the recent chap and thought that it was the end of Bakura getting Ryou. I'm really sorry that I disappointed you, I never meant to make you sad…but I can't lie, I felt awful reading your review when in fact I've already gone through all the trouble of making a BakuraXRyou ending for people out there who wanted it.

There's still the alternative BakuraRyou ending coming ok. I've told everyone that I'm making one already.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 22 Love You Forever

Sitting there quietly with the dying high priest Seth was Ryou, contemplating, reminiscing…all those joyous times he had shared with this man beside him. In a few more moments…Seth would be gone, just as Bakura had gone…Anubis would be waiting for the priest…and Ryou would be left alone once more…cold and wandering with an empty heart.

How could things have come to this? Why must there be such cruel endings? Seth…whose eyes seemed so soft and sincere now would be leaving…angels' wings would be winging his soul into flight… eyes which used to seem so protected and guarded, were now frail and lighted…but fading.

How sad…emotions stir within the priest in his final minutes of life…such a short amount of time to truly live out. He was open now, there would be no need to keep stern pretenses wherever he was going…he would ascend to paradise and there, he would be free.

Free from this world's pain…free from the poison in his mortal body's veins…

But he will have to part…part from Ryou who sits beside him now in his deathbed… do not weep…

Do not weep for this dying man…he is cold…

But that really isn't true isn't it? He feels…Seth feels…behind that façade of his…he feels and weeps… beneath the depths of those eyes, he feels.

The light is fading…life is ebbing away…

Seth…this is your last chance to find happiness…tell him, tell Ryou…

"Ryou…" whispered Seth, blue eyes already deathly pale…skin already sickly and cold.

"It's not fair you know…that you're leaving me too." Spoke Ryou, his voice cracking as he tried to fight back sobs.

"…I know…it's not fair…for you, and me…" responded Seth, cold sweat on his forehead and his vision starting to blur, "The one thing I can't forgive myself…is the fact that I've wasted so much time not telling you…" his words drifted.

"Not telling me what?"

"Ryou…I…" something caught Seth's breath, a sob or whimper perhaps.

"Seth?"

"…You…" the words seemed absent though the priest's mouth moved, but there came no distinguishable sound…just gasps and raspy noises… No, these were not words! Oh Ra…Anubis…Isis…gods and goddesses…not yet, don't take this soul yet…

Don't take this soul…this soul that has not yet confided his love to another…

There was no violent cough…no look of pain…just a second of despair and he was free, his soul unbound to this shell on earth. At least his death…was not as painful as expected… if anything, he seemed serene.

The unsteady rise and fall of Seth's chest had ceased…and his eyes were now a dead gray, his flesh no longer living…his blood no longer bursting with life.

Limp and lifeless…Ryou felt as if he were the one who had died. The priest was gone…he was gone now…like Bakura…and Mahado…and Mana…

But why did this death…unlike the other deaths…seem much more painful? Was it because it was slow and expected? Because…Ryou himself sat there…in the quiet atmosphere where death mingled just distance away, and now in where he sat?

There would be tears…grieving and anguished cries of loss…but why did Ryou feel so numb? The shock…there was no shock…but pain hit him full force, the pain of absolute realization…that Seth…was no more.

This pain…this despair… It was because…

Of love…

"Seth…why?" Ryou whispered to the wind… "Why? Why…you, who've I've just realized…I've loved all along?" oh the pain in his voice…the sting of hearing the truth.

Ryou loved Seth…it was Seth all along… It wasn't with Bakura that he felt love…that was infatuation…it wasn't Atemu, we all knew that it could never be…but it was Seth…with Seth.

High priest Seth who was the first person he'd laid eyes on upon arriving in Egypt…the one who had protected him, accepted him…the one who, all along loved him…

And the pale teen didn't even know it…until now…

They say that when you lose someone and they're gone for good, you realize their significance in your life…you realize how you care for them, feel for them…

"Seth…it was you who I've loved all along…" the white blond's voice broke into uncontrollable sobs, "I'm sorry…so sorry…I love you…" and he sat there, crying tears that were meant for a lover's lament.

'Take me away, someone…take me away' Ryou thought to himself. Malik sat by his friend's side and tried to will down those tears in his friend's eyes…

Darkness came as if to grant Ryou's wish…Malik faltered, panicked even…but Ryou felt numb…

"Ryou! The Shadow Realm! It's opening!" Malik yelped, trying to shake Ryou into realization…but the teen was too distraught to care.

With one swift shroud of black, the shadows engulfed to the two time-travelers, Ryou still holding his beloved's corpse tight and hoping in some way that the priest could…would return.

"He has to come back…he has to…" muttered Ryou, willing himself to believe that Seth would and could indeed come back.

But we all know that you can't expect someone dead to rise from the grave…yet, Ryou believed.

Whether it was because of true love or desperation or simply because he had lost his mind along with his loved one, Ryou believed…firmly believed, that Seth would come back to him…

"That cannot be done Ryou…" Malik tried to reason…but there was no point to that now.

At once, the two were in the Shadow Realm…the familiar swirls of purple fog were there and the distant moans of condemned souls emanated throughout the vast limitless space… then, a strong tug on their bodies sent the two plunging downwards as if being pulled roughly into a vortex taking them deeper into the shadows.

The last thing Ryou could remember was the far off sight of soldiers and thieves making their way towards the shrine… and losing the feel of his love's body close to him.

Ryou awoke…finding himself back in his world, back in Domino…back in the present. He still felt numb and vaguely, he noticed Malik's awakening figure beside him… he noticed the star-lit sky above him…the moon with its luminescent glow in the night…his friends, Yugi, Tea, Joey and Tristan…even Mokuba…they were running towards him…The Ishtals were there too.

And in a far off corner…the towering images of Dark Necrofear and Blue Eyes White Dragon were fading as Shadi himself disappeared into nothingness.

He could remember…something his friends had told him about the those two duel monsters…everything would be back to normal when those two monsters would be gone…the Shadow Realm and the world's balance would be back in order…time's place would be restored…

That meant…he wouldn't be able to go back to ancient Egypt…back to those sands and that ancient city…back to the palace.

Ryou sat up as his friends crowded around him, kneeling beside him and his fellow time-traveler who was receiving as much attention as he was. Relieved hugs came…tears of joy flowed…cheers of celebration commenced. He was back…

Looking down at his hands, Ryou realized how silly it was for him…to grow an attachment to that magical place in the desert… to have befriended people who he would have to leave…and to watch them die… to fall in love with a man not from his time…who eventually, died as well.

"Ryou! I'm so glad you're back!"

"Oh Ryou…we've been so worried!"

"Man…ya' scared the shit out of us!"

"Ryou…we're so glad that you two came back ok!"

Ok? Who said anything about being ok? There was nothing there but numbness…a void…things weren't ok…Ryou wasn't ok…and will never be ok. As long as this void…wasn't filled…he would never truly be 'ok'.

'_Perhaps I can help fill the void?'_ came a promising voice in the young white blond's head, _'hello, my light…'_ came Bakura's voice.

'_Bakura! You're…'_ Ryou's thought drifted.

'_Here…as I should be, this time to watch over you…'_replied the spirit of the ring, _'It seems that for some reason…the gods decided to play a little joke on me, sealing my soul in the millennium ring the moment my spirit was released from my mortal body.'_

'_I know…that I will not be able to fill the void Seth has left…but allow me to comfort you as the protective Yami you never had.' _At this, Ryou was surprised…his Yami was never this compassionate…his Yami would jump at any chance to steal Yugi's millennium item…his Yami would steal souls and send them to the Shadow Realm…

'Now, now…I've changed…though I still bear hatred towards the pharaoh, I've learned that revenge won't do any good for me. I'd rather be by your side…as your dark…for you seem to need my compassion in this time of grief.'

'…_Strangely enough, I remember our time in Egypt and it has changed me for the better… You grieved for my death and as a thief with morals, how little they may be, I give you my respect.'_ Said the spirit…receiving a thankful smile from his host.

At least he had a little something from the past with him…and his Yami's compassion was a welcomed change.

In life…there will always be change…for change itself was the only thing permanent in the world, ancient Egypt or not. And in Ryou's life were changes that needed getting used to…he would have to get used to being in the modern world again, he would have to forget those painful memories that would have to be forgotten…he would have to let go…

But a part of him…didn't want to let go, he hadn't spoken to Yugi and the others about his heartache and loss, knowing full well that they would try to help him forget and move on…but that was the thing, he didn't want to move on, he didn't want to forget…he wanted to recall…the feeling of Seth by his side and those final moments with the priest…though painful, it was the only memory he had wherein he truly knew how he loved Seth.

The others knew what happened to Ryou while he was in Ancient Egypt though…because later on after Ryou had gone back to his home, Malik had told them…hoping that Ryou's friends would be able to help the white blond move on.

Night passed, day came, and the routine of a student's life started once again for Ryou. He had school that day because it was a Monday… the Ishtals had taken the plane back to Egypt, the 'Do Not Enter' signs on the school roof were gone now…and everything was back to normal.

The classes seemed to just pass by like nothing to Ryou, and everything to him felt blank…but sooner or later he would have to stop his grieving, he would have to take notes and would have to buy new school things since his stuff was back in ancient Egypt…they were probably decayed and decomposing by now if anyone found them at all.

Ryou laughed softly…imagining his father in Egypt, excavating a hidden tomb and wondering how a modern-day backpack with his son's stuff got inside a 3000-year-old tomb.

Ryou would accept the change…but he would never forget…sure, bring on the changing seasons, bring on the quizzes, duels and teenage problems…but he sure wasn't going to forget…Seth and his adventure.

Strangely enough, Ryou was in a familiar setting once again…the same setting that started his whole adventure. It was lunch break, everyone was outside except for Yugi's group and Joey was talking about dueling and stuff…

Ryou laughed along with the group… Tea spoke up…Tristan too…

Then Yugi asked Ryou about dueling…Ryou just shies away with a modest response…

Then…Kaiba appears from behind Ryou, with that same authoritative look in his eyes.

"Ryou Bakura…we never really got to finish what we started." Spoke Kaiba.

"Look…Kaiba…about what I said before, about how just anyone would able to beat you…you misunderstood that…" Ryou replied, sitting still in his seat with Kaiba standing behind him…he would never turn and look at the brunette, it would remind him of the pain again…Kaiba…just looked so much like Seth.

There came no reply from the brunette…the stern teen merely moved towards the other side of Ryou's chair, keeping his gaze firmly at the white blond. "Normally I would say that a rematch is in order…" he spoke to Ryou with that familiar venom in his speech, "But then again…" oh, here comes one of the famous Seto Kaiba's snide remarks.

There was a pause…it was brief, but it was there…Kaiba's hand reached out to cup Ryou's chin…a shocked look replaced Ryou's timid expression… Ryou's brown orbs widened at the gentleness of his classmate's touch…and he could have imagined that for once, his beloved Seth was doing this to him…

"Ryou…" spoke the brunette…in a tone that wasn't harsh or insulting, but smooth and calming.

"Kaiba…please…if you're trying to make me feel even worse for losing Seth…" anguish; Ryou guessed that Malik or someone else must've told Kaiba about Seth…

Then…to the shock of everyone, Kaiba kissed Ryou…

Ryou's eyes widened…it couldn't be…this was Kaiba, not Seth…he just looks like Seth but he's not…he's not…is he?

The kiss…was so…familiar to Ryou…the feel of those lips…the sheer similarity to Seth's kiss…

At last they parted…gazing into each other's eyes. A shocked gasp was heard from Yugi's group but Kaiba and Ryou didn't mind, they just kept looking at one another; Ryou, not being able to believe that this man was who he thought, or more specifically, hoped he was.

The pale teen was the first one to break their silence, "Kaiba…why?" he asked, confused at what just happened.

A smile, "Can you not think of any reason?" replied Kaiba.

Staring perplexed, the teen thought of only one reason…but he never thought that it could be. Seth was gone…buried deep under the sands of the Egyptian desert somewhere…dead for 3000 years.

But then…what else could there be? "Seth?" Ryou spoke…could it really be?

"The gods seem to favor us being together Ryou…they even gave me this new life" spoke Kaiba.

"But you're Kaiba…how?"

"I am…Kaiba…but I'm also Seth." At this, Ryou was confused, "Somehow, the gods granted me memories of my past life…that stuff about being a high priest…I remember it all now after you fulfilled the prophecy."

"Those gods have some sick and twisted humor." Kaiba said, "killing me with poison then reincarnating me into a being who's the very image of me so I could later on recover my memories of the past and ask you out."

Ryou was stunned…

"Wait…according to what Malik told us, you, I mean, Seth, I mean…well SETH didn't get the chance to duel thief king Bakura." Said Yugi, breaking away from the shock of what just happened.

"Yeah…the high priest and the thief king were supposed to duel, that was the prophecy right? But Bakura died before the two could battle each other…" came Tristan.

"But Ryou got back to Domino right? So tha' means he's fulfilled the prophecy!" Joey reasoned.

"But like I said, Bakura DIED before he could duel Seth!"

"Unless…the two were actually meant to fight for love." Tea spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her, "I mean it does make sense doesn't it? The Thief King and High Priest 'duel' for love. The word 'duel' doesn't necessarily mean summoning monsters…in the dictionary, it could mean 'fight' or 'compete'." She explained.

"So we all got caught up gettin' Malik to get those two ta' duel each other when in fact they were supposed ta' be 'wooing' Ryou!" hollered Joey, "Damn Egyptian hieroglyphic typos!"

Well…that really didn't matter anymore, whether there was a typo on the stone tablet containing the prophecy or not, Seth was back…in a new package yes, but he was back…changed yes, but still in many points the same.

Kaiba was Seth all along, now that he remembers who he was in the past…and as long as his love for Ryou was genuine, he WAS Seth.

"So…we were in the shrine, you were telling me something." Ryou smiled at Kaiba, "what was it?"

Kaiba smirked back, "I loved you…"

Ryou pouted, "loved? Love- 'ed'?" he emphasized the past form of the word.

"You didn't let me finish. I loved you from the start and will always love you forever."

And that was true; Seth proved it…having slept, dormant for 3000 years, waiting to reawaken as Seto Kaiba.

Necro: THE END for the SETHRYOU ending. So, you guys understand the 'duel' part now right? They were supposed to fight for Ryou's love and all this time they were. In a sense, Seth was never gone because he IS Kaiba. I always found Seth being reincarnated into Kaiba amusing since he wasn't sealed in a millennium item and stuff, so here I kind of made up some stuff to make him stand out a bit.

Here, Seth one the duel coz Ryou ended up loving him.

After completing the prophecy, the memories of Seth locked deep within Kaiba were unlocked and revealed…you guys get that? So yeah, Kaiba remembers his old memories and IS Seth, only with a new body.

Gasp…REVIEW! PLEASE 

There's still the alternative BakuraRyou ending coming ok. I've told everyone that I'm making one already.


	24. Love You Forever: Bakura ending

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I currently don't own anything besides the gum in my mouth and the plot of this fic. I don't own YuGiOh!

Necro: here we go! An alternative ending for those Bakura/Ryou people out there

You know, at the very start of this fic I never thought of making this ending because it would mean extra work for me but…everyone has been so nice to me in my first few months here in ff net. SO yeah, I made this bonus as a sign of gratitude, thanks is not enough to express my deepest thanks to all.

This is to be read by ignoring the sethryou chap 22.

Destined Duel 

Chapter 22 Love You Forever: Bakura ending

Just like that, a dying man passed away contented…Seth…was gone, and the grieving continued. They were all gone now…Bakura, Seth, Mahado, Mana…only Malik was left. These losses…Ryou thought these losses were his doing. High priest Seth was the last…his request had been simple…a kiss…and Ryou gave it.

But somehow…it seemed off…Seth loved Ryou, Ryou now knew; why else would the priest ask a kiss from him?

But he, Ryou, did not love him…he didn't even weep as hard as one would think he would weep.

Why was that? It was probably because, he had wept harder for someone else…and that someone was Bakura.

Bakura died…with pride in his dead eyes…but then again, there were so many unspoken words from him…

Did Bakura love him?

Ryou could remember…how he held the dying thief's hand…something that was so strong, turned weak and brittle…

And those pained gasps…they were hesitant…concealing.

Then realization came to Ryou like a ton of bricks…he actually loved the thief…the numbness he felt after the thief had ceased to live, that was despair upon losing a lover…and how could he have not realized it? It was in Bakura's eyes… the same as it was in Atemu and Seth's.

It was in those dangerously venomous eyes, they said 'I love you'…and how could Ryou not have noticed all this time?

Was he really so shallow, that he didn't notice those adoring eyes?

And the way the thief sadly smiled, content that Ryou would weep for him… he was happy that his loved one would care…

So truth be told…it wasn't lust that drove Bakura to kiss him in the past…it was love.

And Ryou simply HAD to question it! Now…Bakura was dead…

Gone…dead…

The white blond would have cried…but he seemed to have run out of tears…

Malik was shaking him, but he wouldn't move. From a dangerously close distance, the battle seemed to be advancing towards the shrine…they had to run before the fight engulfed them as well. But Ryou wouldn't move…he just sat there, staring blackly…not even noticing how the number of dead corpse around him was increasing.

'He loved me.' Thought Ryou, thinking…desperately reminiscing those memories of Bakura.

Bakura wasn't a bad person…Bakura was good…so how could Ryou have doubted him when his eyes clearly spoke of love?

How could Ryou not have seen the emotion in the tomb robber's dying eyes?

Now that Bakura was gone, everything was clear…Not only did Bakura love him…but also, he loved Bakura.

"Ryou! Snap out of it!" Malik yelled, then slapped Ryou hard across the face, "Pull yourself together Ryou…I know you're sad because everyone else is dead but please…don't let their deaths take you with them!"

But still, Ryou wouldn't move.

Agitated, Malik roughly pulled Ryou into a standing position and directed his face towards Seth's dead body, "Look at that Ryou! There's a man who died protecting you! Worse of all…he loved you dearly but he's gone now!" he said, pointing at Seth's lifeless body…oh Seth.

That woke Ryou up…though he didn't love Seth; the man did love him…and did die for him.

"Are you going to just stay here and cry all day? Coz that would be such a shame!"

Yes…it would be such a shame, and it would be a selfish thing to do…to find the easy way out and quit living.

It would be worse though if it were Bakura's dead body beside him…he would never leave, but Bakura wouldn't like that… Bakura wouldn't like it too if he died as well.

There was nothing else he could do…they were dead, lamenting for them would be just that, lamenting…it wouldn't bring them all back…it wouldn't bring Bakura back. And if Ryou does end up dying …then those deaths would have been in vain.

"I love you Bakura." That was the truth, but who else is there to hear it?

All of sudden, shadows seemed to engulf Malik and Ryou. They looked up, scared of the mist…just when Ryou didn't want to die anymore! As the shadows shrouded, the scene of the Egyptian shrine disappeared, the sounds of swords clashing vanished and was replaced with peace.

It all seemed like a dream to Ryou, because when he opened his eyes the present world was the same as he had left it. He was in the hospital resting in a room with walls so white you might have thought that you were already dead. Fortunately, he was not.

"Ryou you're awake!" came a relieved Yugi's voice. The gang was in Ryou's room, probably worried sick for their pale friend.

"Yugi…everyone…what happened?" asked Ryou, though partly he knew; from ancient Egypt he and Malik had been sent back to Domino through the magic of the shadow realm.

"Well…you and Kaiba were on the school rooftop dueling when this bizarre storm came out of nowhere and short circuited your duel disks." Explained Tea.

"Where's Malik?" asked Ryou, weary of his situation, "And Kaiba, is he all right?"

"Kaiba's in another room with Mokuba tending to him, but Malik? You're probably still tired Ryou…" spoke Tristan.

"Well, where is he?"

"We dunno, haven't seen him since Battle City…in Egypt probably…why?" said Joey; ah…so Malik never came back to Domino to help with the time traveling.

"And the prophecy?"

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" asked Yugi; so there was no prophecy either…

It was all just a dream…from the very beginning it was all a dream. He had never traveled to ancient Egypt…he had never met the high priest Seth or the pharaoh Atemu…he was never rescued by the great Thief King Bakura…

There was no romance…there was no threat to the world…

And the Shadow Realm was certainly in balance with this world…

It was all a dream…

Bakura was a dream…

Bakura!

Upon realizing that Bakura was supposed to be his Yami, Ryou searched for his millennium ring…but it wouldn't show itself.

"Yugi! Where's my ring?" the white blond asked frantically, oh maybe there was hope that Bakura was there…waiting for him.

"Um…yeah, about that." Came Yugi's timid reply, " when you fainted; you may not remember this but…the ring's cord broke and it err…"

"Your millennium ring fell off the edge of the school building." Tea continued.

"We tried looking for it but we couldn't find it anywhere." Tristan continued.

So that's it, the ring…his father's gift to him…Bakura's trophy…was gone, "I see…well, thank you for at least looking for it." Ryou gave out a sad smile.

Guess there was no hope for Bakura to come back…no hope for him to find his millennium ring again…absolutely no hope.

Why bother? Everything else was just a lie…the love, the adventure…those fleeing moments of glee…they were dreams…and this was reality; he would be going back to school, he would be studying hard…he would be hanging out with Yugi and the others…he would be back to being Ryou Bakura…no more of that 'Ryou of Japan' stuff…no more of that nonsense…

It saddened Ryou to think that it was all indeed his imagination…he had really hoped that there was a time when Bakura was nice…

But this was reality…and reality was where Ryou Bakura belonged…

It has been a week since Ryou had his strangely realistic dream…and it was now a Saturday, a day dedicated to relaxing and emptying one's mind from worry. And yet, Ryou couldn't help himself…he'd been thinking too much lately…though he had started to get over the fact that his fantasy was indeed just a fantasy, he still felt like something was wrong…missing.

It was a bright morning when Ryou decided to jog around the park for a while, to rid himself of some strenuous thoughts…he had declined Yugi's offer to play duel monsters at the Game shop since he felt the need to be alone for a while.

Just as he was jogging past the park's play ground, Ryou could've sworn that he heard the sound of a bell or some clanging sound similar to chimes…thinking it was the millennium ring calling him, he stopped and turned around, only to be disappointed upon finding an ice cream vendor there selling ice cream to the playing children.

He continued to jog and this time saw the flash of gold from a distance, he turned but still…no Bakura, it was just some middle-aged woman sitting on a bench, reading a book with her gold-framed eyeglasses.

Ryou sighed in defeat…he had to get Bakura out of his system; he had to drive this dream of his out.

Again he jogged and from that point onwards, he didn't stop for anything…until he was tired and thirsty, so for a while, he sat on a park bench and rested, cursing himself for forgetting to bring his wallet so he could buy some bottled water from a nearby store.

Unexpectedly, a bottle of water was given to him out of kindness, "What?" he looked up slowly.

"You look thirsty, here." Said a voice…that seemed oddly familiar.

Ryou knew he had heard this voice before…but from where? His gaze moved from the bottle to the strong hand offering it…up the sleeved arm…to the neck…then the face.

The sun shined brightly behind the stranger, and Ryou couldn't see his face…he took the bottled water since he was so thirsty and thanked the stranger who seemed to smirk back at him.

The man sat beside him and Ryou allowed him to. As Ryou drank from the bottle, he could feel a pair of eyes watching, the stranger's eyes…when Ryou had finished, he turned to look back at those eyes.

There was amber…like fire…and so close to the red of wine… like Bakura's eyes. The shock on Ryou's face must have been apparent since the stranger looked worried for a second, "You ok? You look as if you've seen as ghost…however cliché that must sound to you…" the man said.

This stranger…was dressed in a simple black colored long-sleeved button-down shirt and a pair of white slacks. His eyes were red like Bakura's were…his skin though was fairer than the thief king's. But what shocked Ryou the most was that same white blond hair style and that dangerous expression…this man, was an exact duplicate of Bakura, minus the scarred eye and tanned complexion.

No wonder the man's voice was so familiar…he'd heard it a hundred times in his head!

This man was Bakura…right?

"Oh, um…don't mind me…I just, err…haven't met anyone from around here who has the same hair color as mine." Ryou responded.

"Well I'm new."

"My name's Ryou…you?"

"…Kura."

…Kura…eerie how that name fits him…

The two became friends, Kura was going to be a transfer at Ryou's school and the two white blonds were going to be classmates.

As the months passed…Ryou healed from the heartbreak of losing Bakura…because, in a sense, he never did lose the man.

Instead he got him back…and this time Bakura had a body…

Eventually, Ryou was once again reunited with his millennium ring, having found it in one of the school's dumpsters…but of course Bakura's soul wasn't in it, it was as if Bakura was never sealed. Nevertheless, he wore it always…and eventually, he came to tell Kura about the ring and its story.

And Kura would listen apprehensively…just as Bakura had listened to Ryou in the past…

"You don't believe me don't you? You think I'm crazy?" Ryou said in the middle of one of his stories.

"I believe you Ryou." Kura smirked, "I believe you…"

Then Kura would kiss Ryou and that would be the end of it.

Because deep inside Kura knew it was true…he had those dreams too.

Necro: THE END…Again…

Gasp…REVIEW!

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS ACCOMPANIED ME THROUGHOUT THIS JOURNEY OF WRITING. I HOPE THAT I WILL SEE (OR READ SINCE WE INDIRECTLY KNOW EACH OTHER) MORE OF YOU PEOPLE.

WRITING THIS HAS BEEN FUN.

Don't forget to check my other fics **The Game** and **Venetian Romance** they're both

**Seto KaibaXRyou Bakura**


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